Beyond an Heiress' Purpose
by weirdismyname
Summary: Hyuga Hinata was born differently. Being the first born of the head of the main family, she had not any ideas of what burden she was already carrying on her shoulders. The sin of her family… she was the chosen one to pay the price. But a certain lad could save her.
1. Chapter 1: The firstborn

**a/n:  
**

****all right. weirdismyname here again, making a new NaruHina! Just to clear something, I didn't abandon "I WILL TAKE YOU FOREVER". I'm just looking for an appropriate time to type my draft. But the story is already finished, so yeah... I'm just too lazy and busy to type it. Well, it seems that I lack INSPIRATION for continuing that story... But, no worries. I'll update it.

For now! Let's talk about this new story I've made.

Well, I was really inspired on making this so... it already has five chapters with me. ^^ I wish everyone would support this story too like how you guys support my other stories! THANK YOU!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO**

* * *

**Beyond a Heiress' Purpose**

Hyuga Hinata was born differently. Being the first born of the head of the main family, she had not any ideas of what burden she was already carrying on her shoulders. The sin of her family… she was the chosen one to pay the price. But a certain lad could save her.

**Chapter 1: The firstborn**

This was the night that Hyuga Hiashi was afraid of. The twenty-seventh day of December. Of all the days of the month, neither he nor his wife wanted for this day to come. For nine whole months, they were anticipating for the firstborn of the Hyuga clan, the next heir for the next generation. But, giving birth to the next heir in this night was inevitable despite their prayers of not getting the child out of her mother's womb on this day.

But, everything was too late. It was inevitable.

Hiashi could hear his wife's labor inside the room. She was in pain that no man could bear. He knew that his wife could make it… she was _his_ wife, after all. But all the Head of the Hyuga clan could do was wait for his wife's labor to finish and… hope for everything to be all right.

He waited and waited… until he could no longer hear his wife's voice.

The shoji of the room was immediately opened by a medic who helped delivering his child. She looked tired as the main doctor. "Hiashi-sama, your daughter has been delivered safely."

Hiashi nodded, still wearing an unexplainable expression on his face. Deep inside, he could feel his heart jumping up to his throat. All what he could do was hope for the best. He wanted a normal child… he didn't want his daughter to carry all the burden that his family made. He didn't want to get her involved into this. If there was someone to be punished, it ought to be him. Not anyone else in his family.

"My daughter… my child… no, no… Why doesn't she cry…? I-I cannot hear her." Hyuga Haruka said in a hoarse voice.

Hearing his wife's voice, he was effectively frozen on his spot. He felt his heart clench as he heard Haruka cried.

"Why?! Why doesn't she cry?! Why…? What is that on her forehead!?" his wife said in the most painful tone of her voice. "No… my daughter… no… this can't happen to you…"

When Hiashi finally had the guts to enter his room, he bravely accepted the truth. He saw there… wrapped in a white towel was a small bundle beside his beloved wife. The angelic child… their first child and the next heir of the Hyuga clan, was sleeping peacefully without making any distinguishing sound. Tattooed on her white forehead was a violet seal. The seal of the Kurogami clan.

"I apologize, Lord Hiashi… I could do nothing to prevent the curse on the child for Masayo's power is greater than mine." The head priestess of the Fire country, Maeko, said as she sincerely apologized to the head of the Hyuga clan. "I have done everything I could to drive the curse away… but the best I could do was to only weaken its effect on the child."

Hiashi numbly fell to his knees beside his wife and child. He reached for his daughter's small face and felt pitiful towards the small creature. Such a small living thing… yet already carrying too much on her life.

"How… tell me… how can we save our child?"

"I would do anything, Maeko-sama. I am willing to take the risk to save our daughter! Please, tell me the way." Haruka begged.

"I apologize, milady. But… I know not the cure to lift the curse. I have no power to do anything about it… I am very sorry."

"No. Don't say that! My daughter… Hinata… Hinata will be saved, right?! The curse won't kill her… she will live normally and be the next heir of the Hyuga clan! My daughter… she will be happy, too. Please, tell me that she'll be saved!" Haruka yelled.

Maeko lowered her head. "I was able to prevent her death by weakening the effect of the curse. I was able to prevent Masayo's curse of taking away the child's life once she was out of your womb, milady. I couldn't have done it without the help of the full moon… I was able to get strength from the moonlight to be able to prolong Hinata-sama's life. But as I said earlier, Masayo is way too powerful than I am. Despite her death, her curse in this child lives on. Though, it would work slowly… until the child's whole body is drained by the curse and die. With that, I know not of any cure to stop it."

"No way… this can't happen. Hiashi… dear… please, let's save our daughter." Haruka looked at Hiashi's apathetic eyes.

Hiashi clenched his fists. Blaming himself for everything that has happened to his wife and to their daughter.

"But, I have seen the future of this child, my master." Maeko said.

Haruka and Hiashi turned to look at the head priestess.

"Her future?"

"Yes. She would live her life. And by the help of a certain lad, she could be saved. He could protect her from any harm and save her life." Maeko explained, "I wasn't able to see his face, but he owns a very extraordinary power. There would be two young men… willing to protect her life. The first one would be her real savior and protector… but the other one would be used to kill her."

"What must we do, head priestess?"

"For now, hide the child. Do not let anyone get near her, but me. For she contains a very sacred power inside her. I can feel it… I am sorry to say but, Hinata-sama would not grow to be an ordinary child."

Haruka gasped.

"She has a very big purpose in this world." Maeko said.

TO BE CONTINUED.

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**a/n:**

****so that's for chapter one. ^^ Kinda short, isn't it? But don't worry. Only the first chapter will be short... the next ones would get longer and longer.

Please r&r! Thank you very much!


	2. Chapter 2: A Useless Hyuga

**a/n:  
**

hey there! I'm here again, updating. Thank you for who favorited and followed this story. ^^

I just have to clear something, this is not an AU story. The story still takes place in the Ninja world where Masashi Kishimoto created the characters. xDD

I just made some twists so... yeah. Please, keep reading and reviewing! :)))

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto... The Uchiha Clan wouldn't had been massacred. ITACHI would have never died! But, unfortunately, I'm powerless. **

* * *

**Chapter 2: A Useless Hyuga**

Five years have passed.

There were many changes in Konohagakure since the night of the Kyubi's attack to the village. It was more peaceful as if nothing had happened at all. But that peaceful wind in the village doesn't seem to blow past the tall walls of the Hyuga Household. Every day since the birth of Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Haruka's first child, a certain fear always haunted them.

This day was Hinata's fifth birthday, the main family would meet up with the branch family to receive their customary for the next heir. That means Hiashi has to introduce Hinata to his younger brother, Hizashi, the head of the branch family. Next week, the Kumogakure would come to the village to strike a peace treaty. Hiashi wouldn't want to let his guard down. Anyone could kill his daughter… Anyone could be used to kill her… When he says "anyone", that includes his younger brother.

"Hiashi-sama, the young princess is ready." A servant from the household called to ask permission to enter the room. Hiashi nodded in answer for her request and the servant came in with his first daughter.

"_Ohayo gozaimasu_, otou-sama." The small fragile girl wearing an orange floral kimono came in to greet her honorable father politely.

Hiashi stood up from his seat and went to his five-year-old daughter. He dismissed the servant and checked Hinata's condition.

Her eyes were still the same. The eyes of a Hyuga, soon to be wielding the byakugan. He landed a hand on her forehead to check on the seal hidden behind her bangs, and seemed satisfied with the results he got. She was in perfect health today, that's good.

"Otou-sama? Where is okaa-sama? Will she not join us?" Hinata asked.

"I'm afraid she could not, Hinata. She is resting in her room and still recovering from her fever." He said.

Ever since Haruka gave birth to Hinata, she easily gets sick even from a colder temperature of the environment. Her immunity was getting weaker day by day.

"Oh, are we not going to check on her first?" Hinata stared cutely at her father's keen eyes.

"I already saw her this morning. Your mother is doing fine. We must go, your uncle is waiting for you outside." Hiashi took her tiny hands and led her out of the compound, making their way to meet the branch family.

.

.

.

Hiashi and Hinata were walking towards the Hyuga front gate, seeing their relatives standing firmly at the threshold.

"Hizashi. Well met." Hiashi greeted first as he and Hinata welcomed them.

"It is good to see you again, Hiashi-sama." Hizashi bowed respectfully at him and looked at the small figure beside the Head of the Main family's legs.

Hinata blinked cutely, this was the very first time she met her relatives; her uncle. Indeed, her uncle looks just like her father. She bowed at him to show her respect, and by lifting her head again, a smaller figure beside her uncle captured her eyes.

It was a handsome young boy with long brown hair like what Hiashi and Hizashi has. His pale Hyuga eyes were happily staring at her that made her blush and clung at her father's thigh. She hid her face from him at first, feeling shy for she was not used to be being stared at, but decided to smile back at the boy when noticing that he didn't shift his gaze from her.

The boy also smiled and then he turned to his father.

"She's cute, right, father?" the young boy whispered to Hizashi.

Hizashi looked down at his son wearing a depressed look on his eyes, and then he turned back to Hiashi.

The young boy blinked at his father's actions, "_Chichiue_?"

Later on, Hizashi and his son were led inside the house to check on Hinata's training. They were in the sparring room, seating on their _Zabuton _as they watched Hinata train with Hiashi.

The heiress was not wearing the formal kimono anymore. Instead, her attire changed into a black v-neck shirt and black combat pants. Hiashi was teaching her how to use the gentle fist and it was clear to their eyes that the young girl was struggling to learn it.

"Look, Neji. Hinata-sama, your cousin, and is the future clan head of the Hyuga. We, who belong to the Branch Family, are in duty to protect the Main Family." Hizashi said to him, "No matter what happens, you should protect Hinata-sama. It is your duty to protect her, do not forget that."

Neji, who was excitedly watching Hinata in her training, turned to Hizashi smiled sincerely. "_Hai! Chichiue_!"

Hizashi knew… Hizashi knew his son well that he was determined to fulfill his duty to protect the girl. Neji was an intelligent kid. Skilled and a born genius. The young boy has great potential in being the head of the clan more than Hiashi's daughter. There were news and gossips from the servants that Hinata was never doing very well with her training with the Byakugan and gentle fist ever since she started at the age of three. Much opposite with Neji's performances. Many were saying that she was ill-suited to be the next leader of the clan… and Neji has the full-potential. But, Neji was Hizashi's son.

They belong to the Branch family.

Neji's fate was already decided in this clan. He would live his life serving the main family. And he could not get farther from that duty.

He would experience the same fate as Hizashi.

And that was what Hizashi couldn't accept.

"Stand up, Hinata!" Hiashi said in a firm voice.

The fragile girl was gasping for dear air and was very tired. But she mustered her strength on hoisting herself up just to obey her father's orders.

_That girl… would be the next leader of the Hyuga clan._

Hizashi narrowed his eyes.

_That weak girl would be the heiress while his genius son… would only end up being a servant of the main family._

No. He could not accept that.

Before anyone knew it, nerves were slowly forming on the sides of Hizashi's eyes, activating his Byakugan.

Hiashi, upon sensing Hizashi's killing attempt to the heiress, quickly shielded Hinata from him and activated the cursed seal as punishment.

"Aaaaargh!"

Hizashi fell down the floor in great pain as he screamed.

"_Chichiue_!" Neji quickly rushed to his father's aid, but not having the idea on how to help him.

"Aaaargh! Aaargh!"

Hizashi tried his best to endure the pain as Hiashi looked at him apathetically.

"I'm letting you go for now, Hizashi. Next time I see you again trying to kill Hinata; I will kill YOU." Hiashi warned, "Take your father away from here. I don't want to see his pathetic face." He ordered Neji and then dragged Hinata out of the room.

Hinata wanted to stay and rush towards her uncle, but her father's grip on her wrist was too strong that she didn't have the slightest chance to get away from him. It pained her so much seeing Hizashi and Neji suffering. It was her birthday today… why can't everyone be happy? That was her wish… she wanted to make everyone happy.

* * *

Maeko didn't miss any of Hinata's birthday. Now, she was turning five and that would be a very special day. During only the Heiress's birthday that she was allowed to visit the girl and check on her Physical and Spiritual condition. The head priestess just hoped that Hinata wouldn't show any signs of having _that_ kind of power. There was not a day that she didn't pray for the young girl's well-being; she hoped that God answered her prayers and chose not to let the girl fall into fate's cruel hands.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Head Priestess." A servant from the Hyuga household greeted her politely.

Maeko bowed, as well as her two escorts. "I am here for the heiress's fifth birthday. Will you kindly lead me to them?"

"Certainly, milady. But, I am afraid that Hiashi-sama is not in a pleasing mood and I do not know if anyone is allowed to see the young princess."

Maeko was alerted by hearing this. "What do you mean? Did something happen?"

"Actually…"

* * *

"Hiashi-sama! Hiashi-sama!" The head priestess wasted no time in searching for Hiashi. Her escorts, Tsuki and Miya, were required to stay at the guest room for Maeko forbade them to join her as she would speak with the Hyuga Leader.

Maeko turned another hallway, and she finally saw Hiashi sitting behind a table and working on papers.

"Pardon me, Hiashi-sama." Maeko bowed first before entering the room. "A servant had told me about what happened to Hinata-sama's training earlier. How is she?"

"She is fine, and she's resting right now." Hiashi replied stoically. "I was able to sense Hizashi's killing intent before he could harm my daughter. I activated his cursed seal so he was not in the state to attack either of us."

"Where is the young princess?" Maeko asked.

"She's in her room with Ko guarding her." Hiashi said.

"I shall attend to her, milord, please allow me to." Maeko said.

"Do what you want. You are here for her and you are the priestess who saved her life. As long as you do not bring any harm on my daughter, I will allow you to present yourself in her room." Hiashi replied, "If there is anything wrong with her, I expect you to fix it immediately. Understand?"

"Yes, milord. I will do my best to make her at her best." The priestess bowed and then made her way towards Hinata's room.

Hiashi was left alone hearing Maeko's hurried steps towards his daughter's room. He silently stared outside his window and curled his hands into fists. He knew himself… that his daughter would never be a Hyuga no matter what. And the title of the Heiress was never suitable for her.

Problems… problems just keep coming all at once.

* * *

Sometimes, Maeko could not understand Hiashi. It was so vague to her. Hiashi's care for his firstborn was very vague for her. There were times when he was so protective of the girl, and times that he was so cruel to her. She didn't even know if the man already accepted the poor girl as his daughter. She knew that he had high hopes for the heiress, but no matter how many times Maeko warned him about Hinata's inconsistent state, he still won't listen and continue training her with the Hyuga techniques. She never failed to inform the Hyuga leader about the seal's power. Temporarily, the seal on Hinata's forehead was put into sleep for five years since that's all what Maeko could do with her current powers. And five years have passed. Today was the 27th day of December, Hinata's fifth birthday, which is also the day that would the seal awaken.

Maeko was currently in Hinata's room, doing her rituals on the heiress to decipher her state. Just as she expected, Masayo's seal has awaken. She was having a hard time getting synchronized with Hinata's aura to feel her energy and to know what kind of person she'd be.

_Please, answer my prayers, my Lord._

After several minutes of battling with the seal's aura, she was finally able to feel Hinata's energy. By just seeing the path of the energy in the girl's body, an invisible terror abruptly built up in Maeko's chest. Her face paled and beads of sweat formed on her forehead and trailed down to her face. Air seemed to be having a hard time entering and exiting her lungs.

_No. This couldn't be! Why this girl… this girl with an innocent soul… why does this have to happen to her?! God, why?_

"What have you seen in my daughter's body, Maeko-sama?" a gentle, worried voice came from the door.

Maeko was quickly drawn out from her trance. She left Hinata's path of energy, and turned towards the source of the voice.

There, standing by the shogi's threshold was none other than Hinata's mother, Haruka. She was wearing a white kimono, and her black hair was tied in a single braid. She looked ill, still, she was very beautiful.

"M-Milady… you are here. I-I didn't notice you." Maeko said.

"Sorry to disturb… but I was very worried when I heard about what happened to my Hinata." Haruka said, "I'm relieved to see that she is okay." The girl's mother weakly stepped inside Hinata's room and sat beside Maeko. "I don't know what I would do if something happens to her."

"Do not worry, milady… Hi-Hinata-sama is doing fine." Maeko said.

"Are you all right, Maeko-sama? You look really pale." Haruka stared at her. "What… What did you see in Hinata this year?"

Maeko wasn't able to answer for a moment. It felt like a knife shot through her throat, not letting her use her voice.

Haruka weakly gripped on the priestess arms. "Maeko-sama… please, answer me. What have you seen in my daughter?"

Before anything else could happen, Maeko took a very deep breath and prepared herself for what would happen to the both of them.

"Haruka-sama… Hinata-sama is not capable of using the Byakugan."

With this, Haruka froze on her spot as Maeko continued with her explanation.

"Her flow of energy is much different from what a Ninja would have. She is also not qualified to be a Shinobi… That is what I have seen in her, milady. I am sorry but… she doesn't contain any abilities of a Hyuga."

A teardrop rolled down on Haruka's cheeks, "No… that's not true. Tell me… those are lies. My daughter is the heiress of the clan! Those are lies!" she screamed on the top of her lungs.

Maeko tried to calm her down, but it was useless.

"No… No… NO! Hinata is normal! Hinata is a Hyuga!"

Slowly, Hinata's eyes began to open. Awaken by her mother's voice.

"_Okaa-sama…?"_ she asked sleepily.

When Maeko noticed that the girl woke up, she quickly helped Haruka stand up and led her out of the room. She signaled for Ko to stay inside the room to keep an eye on the princess as she dealt with Haruka.

"Ko-san…? Why are mother and Maeko-sama in here?" Hinata asked, still trying to get out of her sleepy state.

"Please, reassure yourself, Hinata-sama. You need to rest." Ko replied.

"But… why was Okaa-sama screaming? And… why was she crying? Did something happen to her?" Hinata said concernedly.

"Go back to sleep, please. Haruka-sama will be all right. The head priestess would tend to her."

Hinata had a sad look on her face, "How about Hizashi-oji-sama and Neji-kun? How are they doing?"

Ko looked down, "I am sorry but I cannot answer your question, young princess."

Hinata heaved a heavy sigh and rolled towards the other side of her futon, looking away from Ko. Thinking to herself, she closed her eyes. Why were there people crying? Why do people feel lonely? Why do people feel pain? Why can't everyone be happy?

That was her only wish… That everyone would be happy.

_But, unbeknownst the girl, she was the reason why they were in pain. _

TO BE CONTINUED.

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** a/n:  
**

That's it for chapter two. Tell me... am I being too cruel to Hinata? The truth is... her real sufferings(in my story) haven't started yet.

Thank you for reading! Please, review! I love you all! ^^

**VOCABULARY**

**Ohayo gozaimasu- good morning**

**Zabuton- traditional Japanese floor pillows**


	3. Chapter 3: A moment of Freedom

**a/n:  
**

oh, thank you all very much for such kind reviews! It makes me reaaaaaaaaalllly happy! As your reward, I hereby give you chapter 3! :)

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: A moment of Freedom**

Years have passed, and Hinata was already twelve years old. Her dark blue hair was still short with bangs covering the unusual violet seal on her forehead and she was wearing a yellow kimono with red obi. She was seated on a Zabuton in her bedroom, silently praying with an Omamori between her hands. She was very excited this day… at the same time, very nervous and worried. Whenever something troubled her, she always asked for God's guidance for her prayers will be answered by Him, as what Maeko told her. First, she thanked God for answering her first wish, which was being given a chance to get out of the compound even for one day. Ever since her fifth birthday, she was never allowed to go out of the household nor go to school due to untold reasons. Her father also stopped training her all of a sudden and she didn't know why… She had always tried her best to fulfill his expectations, but whatever she did never pleased anyone in the family. At least, there were still people who accepted her.

Hanabi, her younger sister, and Maeko.

Since Hiashi stopped training her or involving her anything with the Hyuga affairs, it was Maeko who built her up and trained her. But, not in the same way as Hiashi. Whenever she asked why she did this and that, Maeko would always reply _"You have a different role, my child. Just do what I say and you'll discover it when the right time comes." _

In her caged days, it was Maeko who trained her while Hanabi was the one who tells her about what was happening around the mansion. She already accepted it… that her father never looked at her the same way as Hanabi. That he never acknowledge her as his daughter because she was weak and under qualified to be the heiress of the clan. The only hunch she could formulate on why Hiashi always kept her locked in her room was because she was weak and useless to the family. Her freedom was taken away from her… that's why every single day, she always prayed to be free. And having the chance to go out the house and walk in the village was enough for her.

That day had finally come…

Her other prayer was about her cousin, Neji. Because of him, her father allowed her to go out. Because this day, he was going to have a match for the finals of the Chunin exams and she, Hiashi and Hanabi were to go and watch him. She prayed for his protection and well-being, and she was thankful to have a natural born genius cousin. She also prayed for Neji's opponent for she knew that there was no way that both of them would not get hurt.

"Hinata-sama. It is time to go. Hiashi-sama and Hanabi-sama are waiting for you at the front gate." A servant said behind her shogi door.

Hinata opened her pale Hyuga eyes and kept the Omamori in her Kimono's pocket. "Yes, I am coming."

.

.

.

After some seconds, Hinata had reached Hiashi and Hanabi. As usual, her father was still stoic, not even paying attention to her arrival.

"_Ohayo gozaimasu, Otou-sama._" Hinata greeted politely.

"Hello, nee-chan!" Hanabi smiled at her.

Hinata smiled back, but she didn't receive any response from her father.

"You look really beautiful in your Kimono, nee-chan!" Hanabi said with a bright smile.

Hinata blushed, "R-really? Th-thank you…" she said.

"Put this on. Do not let anybody see your face until we reach the stadium." Hiashi gave her a white Haori and walked out of the household.

"Yes, father…" Hinata replied and did as she was told. She covered herself with the Haori and soon followed Hanabi and Hiashi out of the compound.

It has been a very long time since Hinata walked in the streets of the village. Villagers and Shinobis were very busy talking about the Final matches. Children, middle-aged people and old folks talked about strong ninjas… and she was happy to hear Neji's name coming out from the mouths. She felt so good walking again in her beloved village.

"Hyuga Neji will surely win!"

"Yeah! I'm looking forward to see his match! Especially Uchiha Sasuke's match!"

"This is going to be very exciting!"

Uchiha… Hinata had read about that clan before. It was three years ago when Uchiha Itachi massacred the entire clan, leaving only one survivor. Maybe Uchiha Sasuke was the said survivor of the clan. Somehow, she felt sad for him. He lost his whole family in such a young age… was he ever happy with his life now that he was left alone by his loved ones? She hoped he was.

"Hey, look! That's Hyuga Hiashi, right? The Head of the Hyuga clan?"

"Yes, that's really him! But, who's that one with the Haori?"

"Are you stupid? That's Hyuga Hiashi-sama's daughter!"

"Huh? But I've never seen her before. And why does she have to cover her face? Is she burned or something?"

"Well, she's not a ninja. And there were rumors around that she was not qualified to be a ninja because she was ill. That's all I know."

It can't be helped. Hyuga Hiashi was a well-known person in the village. Of course, the villagers would gossip about him… and since it was her first time going out of the compound with her father, she expected them to say something nice or bad about her. Hinata could take their criticism… but Hanabi could not. Before the younger Hyuga could lose her temper on the villagers, Hinata already stopped her before she could cause a commotion.

"But, sis. Are you okay with this?" Hanabi furrowed her brows.

"Let them be, Hanabi-chan. It's all right… and we can't do anything to disgrace father's name." Hinata whispered to her younger sister, "Let this go, okay?"

Hanabi sighed in defeat, "Fine."

It took them some minutes to reach the stadium, and once they entered the place, it was the very first time that Hinata had seen a very huge crowd. She stared at them in awe behind the covering of her Haori. She didn't know that so many people would watch her cousin fight in the arena… she never knew that Neji would be known all over the village. Also, Hanabi told her that Ninja from the other villages would also come to watch the duels.

_It was so amazing to be a ninja._

That's what she thought.

Hiashi led his daughters to a special seat, away from the commoner's section. And Hinata was given the permission to take off the Haori.

When Hinata took off the Haori, she immediately roamed her eyes to search for Neji. She quickly spotted him in the arena and she formed a bright smile on her face. "It's nii-san…" she said to herself.

* * *

Neji soon spotted the Main family seated on the special section. He was not surprises to see Hinata with them, since he was the one who requested for Hiashi to bring her along. It has been a long time since he last saw her… She was always locked in her room and he didn't have the chance to see her ever since her fifth birthday. He felt somewhat contented when he saw her looking at him.

So, he could not afford to lose. The Main Family was there to watch his match… he cannot lose in front of Hiashi. But he should have cleared something to Hinata first before she could make her own conclusions. If she was thinking that he convinced Hiashi to let Hinata watch the match because he cared for her, then she was wrong. He had other reasons why he did that. And caring for her was not even near to his real reason.

Soon, the matches would begin. Before the proctor could start with the rules, there was a blond-haired boy came in flying from the entrance. He landed with his full body sliding on the ground as everyone in the stadium looked down to him.

"I… made it." The blond-haired boy whispered to himself.

"Tsk. So troublesome. How lame can you be?" the one with the pineapple hairstyle commented.

Hinata stared at the newcomer in awe. She blinked her eyes several times. She wondered who that Ninja was. Was he Uchiha Sasuke? Or was he Neji's opponent?

"Do not worry, everyone! Uzumaki Naruto-sama has arrived and I will prove to all of you how strong I've gotten, _dattebayo_!"

It seemed that chances answered her wonderings. The energetic ninja down the arena is named Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto grinned at the crowd and made a peace sign with his fingers. But, it's as if a tumbleweed flew around the stadium, indicating an awkward silence. The crowd doesn't seem to go along with him.

"Hey you. Fall back in line. We're about to start." The proctor named Genma said sternly.

Naruto did what he was told.

* * *

Later on, the matches proceeded. And the first duel was Hyuga Neji against Uzumaki Naruto.

"You're a failure. No matter what you do, you cannot change yourself. There are people who are born to be a Hokage, there are people who are born to be great Shinobis and there are born with natural talents. On the other hand, there are people who are born weak and useless. The failures cannot be successful… that is their destiny and no one can ever change that."

Neji said to his opponent, Uzumaki Naruto. It was not hard to determine who was in disadvantage or in advantage. The Hyuga prodigy was not yet even breaking a sweat while his opponent was already breathing hard and sweating too much. Naruto had already taken so much damage from Neji.

Hinata's heart clenched when she heard Neji's words. She knew… she knew that she was included in there when he said "failure". Indeed, this was the very first time she had seen a duel. At first, she was very excited and happy because Neji was being consistent with his fight. She saw him use the byakugan, the gentle fist, the kaiten and other Hyuga techniques that she was never able to learn. She was amazed by how strong Neji had become and comparing herself to him doesn't seem right. Because to begin with; Neji was a natural born genius and she was a failure. But, she accepted that fact a long time ago. And she had the same belief as him. She also believed that "Failures are forever failures."

But, as the fight continued, she never thought that it would lead to this. She never thought that Neji would lecture Naruto about destiny. She was confused… she's supposed to be happy by seeing Neji having the great advantage of winning the match, but, she felt the other way around. She felt hurt when she saw Naruto struggling with his fight with her cousin. She didn't know why…

She didn't know why she suddenly felt that she wanted for Naruto to win.

"I don't believe you." Naruto talked back, "We… we are the ones who make our own destiny! Anyone can change! A failure can be a genius if he works hard!"

"You're wrong." Neji said. "Look at Lee. For all these years, he worked hard to be strong. But what is he right now? He's not sure if he can ever walk and be a ninja again due to the injuries he got from his fight. Even with hard work, your fate will not be changed. I'll tell this to you again… a failure is always a failure. No one can change their destiny." He reached for the back of his head and untied his forehead protector to reveal the cursed mark on his forehead.

"With this… I can see your destiny."

Naruto intensely glared at the seal on Neji's forehead. "What's… that?"

"In the Hyuga clan… those who belong to the Branch Family has this cursed seal. There will always be discrimination in our clan because those who are in the Main family hold our destiny and our life." Neji said, "The Main Family… doesn't have any ideas how the Branch Family suffers under them. Like what happened to my father. He was a strong ninja, a great candidate to be the leader of the clan. But, he was seconds younger than Hiashi-sama, and not being the first born means he is going to be put in the Branch family. My father… he was a great ninja. But what happened to him? Despite being a well-respected and noble ninja, he was still under the Main Family's control! Because of a certain event, he was said that he volunteered to offer himself to those ninjas who wanted to steal the Byakugan. But, I never believed that bluff… I know, he was just forced by the Main family to sacrifice himself to protect the Byakugan!" Neji shouted and then he glared towards Hiashi, Hinata and Hanabi.

"I hate the Main Family… I hate them so much." He said in his gritted teeth. He then turned back to Naruto, "Can't you see? I, too, even if I am called a genius… my fate is still not controlled by my hands. I can't do anything to change this cruel fate! And this will still lead on to the next generation. It's not only me… but it's all of us! We can't decide our own destiny!"

"Just shut the hell up! What you are saying is trash! We… We are the ones who own our lives! We make our own destiny! When I'm Hokage… I'm going to change it all. I'm going to change everything in the Hyuga clan so no one will ever suffer again!" Naruto shouted on top of his lungs and then a red chakra began surrounding his whole body.

The two contenders clashed once more. This time, the fight got fiercer. It was Neji's turn to keep up with Naruto's new power.

Naruto's words made a huge impact in Hinata. Slowly, Hinata couldn't help it but stand up from her seat.

"Nee-chan?" Hanabi stared at her.

It appeared that Hinata didn't hear her sister at all. Without caring for the people around her, she walked towards the railing of the section to have a better view in Neji and Naruto's fight. She was flabbergasted. She was too stunned to take her eyes off Naruto who took so much of her attention during the fight.

"_I'm going to change everything in the Hyuga Clan so no one will ever suffer again!"_

Naruto's firm voice echoed in Hinata's mind. She didn't know what she was feeling… she felt something extraordinary towards the blonde-haired ninja. Could it be… Could he be the one to change everything in her family? Could he really be the one to stop everyone's suffering?

A teardrop suddenly rolled down Hinata's cheek. She abruptly felt a warm and comforting feeling inside her body and she didn't know where it came from. It's as if there was a new energy came in her system and gave her a temporary cure for all her pain. It was so warm, and she wanted to feel this warmth forever.

"Uzumaki… Naruto…" she gently whispered his name.

* * *

It was a brief moment when Naruto heard a gentle soft voice of a girl. He didn't know where it came from… but when he was clashing weapons against Neji, a certain yellow figure from the audience took his attention. When he leaped up to attack Neji, his blue eyes briefly saw a girl in a yellow kimono, watching them with tears flowing out of her eyes. Her eyes, it was the same as Neji's. But Naruto had never seen that girl before.

He brought his focus back to his opponent and took note of the girl's presence as he fought with the Hyuga prodigy.

.

.

.

"The match is over. Winner: Uzumaki Naruto!"

Hinata felt very delighted when she heard the victor's name. She inwardly cheered for him as he sent flying kissed to the cheering crowd.

Naruto cheered for his victory. This was the very first time that the crowd cheered and was happy for him. So, he went all out in expressing his joy for their cheers for him. But, as he ran around the arena, the maiden he saw earlier during his fight was still there, looking at him. He stopped for a moment and looked up to her and he noticed her wipe tears from her eyes.

Who was she?

When Hinata noticed his gaze fixed on her, she couldn't help but blush. No one had ever looked at her like that. As her response, she just smiled at the lad.

_I've never seen her before… who is she? _Naruto thought to himself.

"Hinata…-sama…?"

Naruto heard Neji's weak voice from his side. He saw him placed in a stretcher and was carried by the medics.

Naruto blinked, "You know her?"

"She is Hiashi-sama's eldest daughter. She's from the Main Family." Neji replied.

"Oh, I see. I never knew that… Hanabi-chan had an older sister." Naruto said as he stared back at Hinata again.

Neji wore a softer expression on his eyes when he looked at Hinata, and then back at Naruto. "Uzumaki Naruto… I have underestimated your skills." He began, "All my life, I've been a fool… believing that we can never change our destiny. But, because of you… I was able to realize my mistakes. I was able to realize that I'm not the only one suffering in our family. I was not the only one suffering under the Hyuga's cruel fate. You may not know Hinata-sama… but compared to anyone else in the family, she's the one who suffers most." He paused and looked directly at Naruto's eyes, "It's a embarrassing to say this but… I believe in your words, Naruto. I believe that we make our own destiny. And I believe that someday, the fate of the Hyuga will be changed."

"When I'm Hokage, I will definitely work on that. I won't let anyone else suffer anymore, dattebayo!" Naruto said.

Neji closed his eyes and a small smirk formed on the corner of his lips as he was being carried away by the medics. "You surely are interesting, Naruto."

When the medics were finished treating Neji's damages from the battle, the Hyuga was left alone in the recovery room, sitting on a bed. His bruises and wounds were already bandaged and he recharged his energy.

Suddenly, Hiashi came in the room when the medics left. Neji didn't expect Hiashi to come there.

"Hiashi-sama…"

"Neji… you've done well with your match." Hiashi said.

Neji looked down and didn't reply, embarrassed that he lost in front of the leader's eyes.

"I think… it is time for you to know the truth about your father." The Hyuga leader said and handed Neji an envelope. "That is… the scroll that Hizashi left before he died. Everything is written in there."

Neji looked at Hiashi in the eye, he then accepted the scroll and opened it. He didn't waste time in reading the content of the letter… his father's handwriting… his father's last words. In every word he read, his hands trembled and when he was finished reading the letter, he held it tightly in his hands and closed looked up the sky.

Hiashi immediately knelt down and bowed lowly at Neji, "I apologize for everything, Neji. I am very sorry for hiding the truth from you."

Neji's eyes widened when he saw the Hyuga leader bow down to him, "Hiashi-sama, please lift your head." He said. He already forgave the man… and he wouldn't want to bear that hatred again.

'_Father… I would control my own destiny. I hope to never lose again and… I will keep my promise. I will protect Hinata-sama with my life.'_

* * *

**a/n:  
**

that's it. our favorite hero finally shows himself!

Do review again! Thank you!

The following chapters after this are far longer. ^^

**VOCABULARY**

**Omamori- Japanese amulet**

**Ohayo gozaimasu- good morning**


	4. Chapter 4: The Unexpected Savior

**a/n:  
**

Oh... My... God...

15 reviews in three chapters?! I-I-I'm verrrrrrryy HAPPY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY NARUTO-SAMA! :)

Thank you all!

**Martia****Lae**

**me  
**

**Vashman7  
**

**Guest  
**

**ILoveNARUHINA  
**

**XHINAX  
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**LeafRanger  
**

I-I still couldn't believe that Leaf Ranger reviewed on my fanfic. TT^TT I got really inspired by the review! I look up to you, Leaf Ranger because of your awesome fanfics especially the "Wizard of Kitsune". I'm such a fan of LOTR and Naruto and I was extremely happy when I found your fic! Kya! (Sorry for being like this, I'm really happy because of your review.)

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! TT^TT

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. **

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Unexpected Savior  
**

When Hinata saw Hiashi leave Neji in the room, she took the opportunity to approach her cousin to see his condition. After all, it has been a long time since they last saw each other and she had so much to tell to him. She first took a deep breath before entering the room, and when she gathered all the courage in her body, she pushed the door to see her genius cousin.

Both Hyuga eyes met after a very long time.

"Hinata-sama…" Neji was wide-eyed when his gaze fell upon the beautiful Hyuga.

Hinata bowed her head and blushed when she saw him looking at her. "N-Neji-ni-san… it has been a long time. How are you…?" she asked uncertainly.

Neji came down from his bed and approached her, "Hiashi-sama just left a while ago. Did you come her alone?"

Hinata avoided his eyes as much as possible, and she nodded honestly.

"I… I wanted to see how Neji-ni-san is doing so I came… Hanabi knows that I went to see you so, there's nothing to worry about." She explained.

"But you are still the Hyuga princess, Hinata-sama. You shouldn't be wandering off without someone guarding you." Neji said.

Hinata bowed again, "I'm sorry."

"Wait, it's not that…" Neji then sighed, he didn't want to destroy the princess' good mood, but he knew he messed it up. He felt bad about that. "All right. As long as you stay with me, then it's fine."

Hinata lifted her head and looked at him. "Really? Will you let me tend your wounds?"

"If that's what will make you happy." Neji replied.

Hinata flashed a bright smile at him that made Neji's heart skip a beat. He couldn't believe it… He couldn't believe that all these years, he was despising a person like her. This innocent, adorable and kindhearted Hyuga daughter, why wasn't he able to see her positive sides sooner? Why had he always thought of her bad sides such as being a failure and a weak person?

He hated to admit it… he was no genius; he was an insolent fool.

Both of them sat down on each wooden chair and Hinata began to heal Neji's wounds. She took his hand and pressed her fingers on injured big knuckles, and then suddenly a white glow appeared from her palm. It healed the bruises on his hands in less than a second.

"Hinata-sama. When did you learn such skills?" Neji asked, surprised by what he was seeing.

"I… I wasn't able to learn any of the Hyuga techniques no matter what I do. I have the Hyuga eyes, but I can never learn to use the Byakugan that's why Father stopped training me and focused his attention to Hanabi. I felt so weak and useless… but, Maeko-sama came and offered to train me personally. She taught me what the Priestesses in her palace learn, and she said that my chakra is very suitable for a priestess' ability." She explained.

Neji frowned at this, "A priestess?"

Hinata nodded and turned to his wounded leg. She began doing what she did to his hand, and it was also healed as fast as her first work.

"Sometimes… I couldn't help but wonder if I really am from this noble family." Hinata said in a solemn voice, her eyes full of sadness, "I did my best to fill father's expectations… I did everything for him and the clan to accept me… but… no one still does. My father couldn't even see me as his own daughter… and it feels like I've been just nothing but bad luck to the family."

An awkward silence then occupied the whole room. Neither of them looked at each other's eyes.

Neji couldn't find words to say when Hinata suddenly expressed herself. He felt the pain increasing in his chest as he could sense the girl's suffering in the family. Pain, sorrow, agony… all of those were present in her. He could feel all the hardships she was encountering just by seeing her. He was so focused on his hatred to the main family until Uzumaki Naruto beat him, waking him up from his foolish beliefs. He hated everyone in the family until Hiashi gave him the last letter of his late father. He never knew that Hinata was suffering more than he ever did. Yet, his main purpose of asking for Hiashi to make her watch his match was to hurt her.

"I'm sorry, Hinata-sama." Neji spoke to break the ice.

Hinata gave him a quick look, having a confused expression on her face.

"Despite all the hatred I felt for you and the Main Family, you still cared for me. You still came here to see if I'm all right despite my foul intentions to you." Neji said, "The truth is… the main reason why I asked for Hiashi-sama to let you watch my match was because I wanted you to know how much I despise you and that failures like you shouldn't exist in the Hyuga clan." He paused, feeling guilty for all of that. "I regret it all… I am mad at myself for being very selfish… for not showing the slightest concern for you in all these years. Yet, here you are, tending my injuries and showing that you care for me."

"You do not need to apologize, Neji-ni-san." Hinata said with pure kindness in her voice.

That reply was never expected by Neji to hear. Was she serious? Really? After all what he told her, she easily forgave him like that?

"You know, since last time I saw you, which was in my fifth birthday, I never stopped praying and hoping that one day, all your pain will go away. I can never blame you or anyone else for the hatred you feel in your heart. It was your kind father who died to protect the whole clan… the truth behind his sacrifice was hidden from you. Living all these years in an important untold truth is very much to bear. It's like you were blind and no one wanted for you to ever see again." She said, "But… lots of my prayers were answered today. First, my dream of coming out of the house and being given the chance to be free even for one day was finally fulfilled. Because of Neji-ni-san, I was able to walk in the streets of our peaceful village. That was enough for me… I am very contented with that. The other one is… I finally got to talk to you and cure the hole in your heart."

She placed a hand on top of his left chest and closed her eyes, "You've been living in the darkness… You always thought that you were alone and no one cared for you anymore. A person like me… How can a person like me deserve your apologies? How can I hate you for you bear such pain in your heart?" she opened her eyes to meet his. "I hope that one day… you can give me the smile you once gave me when we first met."

Neji was too stunned to speak. But all he knew… this girl in front of him was far too kind. He felt the warmth spread in his chest for receiving gentle words from the angel. He lowered his head and held her hand tightly. Tears traced down his face again, he was sobbing this time.

Hinata's eyes softened, "You are not alone, ni-san… If there is no one to accept you, I will still be here. No matter what, I will not leave you alone…" she whispered to him.

* * *

A girl with brown hair tied in twin buns stood at the door, hearing everything what Neji and Hinata talked about. Ten-ten knew how much Neji hated the Main family… she could feel his sorrow too and she felt sad about that. Somehow, seeing him break down in front of a Hyuga girl that she has never seen before gave an instant comfort to her heart. This was the very first time Ten-ten saw her teammate express himself. And that was a big step and a very good sign.

"_Yokatta ne, Neji?" _Ten-ten whispered to herself as she smiled inwardly.

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei!"

The loud-mouthed number one prankster, who eventually won the match against the Hyuga prodigy, was hurriedly running down the stairs with his lazy companion named Nara Shikamaru(who just forfeited in his near win match), to speak with the silver-haired jounin.

"Naruto!" the pink-haired kunoichi seated beside a blond-haired kunoichi exclaimed.

"Nee, Kakashi-sensei! Why are you letting Sasuke fight that sand guy?! Gaara's merciless, _dattebayo_!" Naruto shouted, still terrified by his encounter with the sand nin when he and Shikamaru were making their way out of the contender's lounge.

"Yo, Naruto. I heard you beat Neji in the first match. Congratulations." Kakashi said.

"You have to stop this fight! Sasuke is in serious danger!" Naruto argued.

Sakura had a sad look on her eyes. Just like Naruto, she wanted to stop the fight too. She knew how strong Gaara was… she couldn't forget how Lee got defeated during the preliminaries. She didn't want Sasuke to experience the same thing as Lee.

"Sensei!" the blond-haired ninja shouted again.

"Just shut up and watch." Kakashi replied with firmness in his voice. "You were not the only one who got strong. Sasuke's strength… is not the same as before anymore."

It seemed that a cat caught Naruto's tongue. He wanted to continue protesting but he couldn't help but turn his gaze towards the arena, where Sasuke and Gaara were fighting. He grew more surprised when he saw the _teme_ standing near the walls of the arena, a ball of lightning forming on his right hand and due to the large amount of electricity, a deafening high-pitched sound of birds' chirping was heard.

Sasuke then rushed forward to attack Gaara.

* * *

Hinata was such a fool. She hoped she didn't insist on going back alone to Hiashi and Hanabi, she hoped that she accepted Neji's offer to assist her back to them. But of course, she couldn't just accept that because he was recovering from his match against Naruto, and he took quite some beating from that. Besides, Ten-ten, her cousin's teammate, came and it seemed they were going to discuss something so Hinata chose to leave by telling them that she knows her way back.

The truth is, she does not know where she was right now. She could hear the crowd's cheering, but she didn't know how to get back there. Apparently, she was lost inside the stadium.

"Mou… where am I?" she said to herself.

It took her long enough to follow her father towards where Neji was confined. She forgot to take note of the path she was taking and was too occupied not to let her father notice her as she followed him. So, here she was, suffering the consequences of being lost. Plus, it was her first time being in this place. Just how can she go back to the arena? She knew that she was gone long enough to miss some or several matches… she was so looking forward to see the other battles.

Hinata kept herself calm. She was just lost in the stadium, that's not a big problem. She's old enough to take care of herself and she has to go back to Hanabi and Hiashi soon before they worry about her. When she was stuck between two separate paths, things got complicated for her.

Left or Right?

Which path should she take?

Looking back and forth between the two paths, her mind was in complete lost of what to pick. The former Hyuga heiress never used her instincts all her life… she always followed orders from her mentor, Maeko, and rules of her father. She never used her own decisions. She never followed her desires.

Even if this was just a simple decision-making… it meant a lot for Hinata. Because somehow, she'd be able to decide on her own without anyone dictating her what to do.

The event of being lost slipped in her mind for a moment. So, she took the left road… trusting her instincts that she'd be back to the arena.

She walked along the path alone, and there was an option to turn left again, and then she saw a door, leading to a bright light. She took faster steps and when she was out… she didn't see any signs of the crowd and the contenders.

Instead, what welcomed her eyes were trees and grasses. The thought of being lost came back to her, hitting her hard and she began to worry. Now she knew that she couldn't trust her instincts.

Taking a break for a moment, she stood by the threshold and stared at the relaxing image of trees.

She began wondering.

She wondered how her life would be if she was able to use Byakugan. If she were strong… then would her father treat her differently? If she were a genius like her cousin, would her father accept her? Would she gain both the Main house's and Branch House's acceptance? Would she be friends with Naruto and the other ninjas? Would she be competing in the finals too?

There was so much she wanted to change in her life. But she felt like it was already permanent. That she would not be able to change herself anymore… and she would not have her father's love. But, not losing hope won't hurt much, right? She wished that one day, Hiashi would accept her for the way she is.

All of a sudden, a strong earthquake occurred that it distracted the heiress's thoughts. She had to hold on to the wall to support her balance and when she looked across the horizon, horror rose in her chest.

Because right in front of her very eyes were gigantic snakes, invading Konoha.

She was frightened by the sight. This was the very first time she saw such a huge snake in her entire life. Worse, it was destroying the village. And worse than worst, the cheering of the crowd disappeared and it got quiet inside the stadium. Trying to calm herself down, she nervously took steps back inside and decided to retake the path she chose.

Without her notice, two unknown ninjas unexpectedly appeared in front of her path, blocking her from taking further steps inside. She quickly halted and went backwards to distance herself from the unwanted guests.

"W-Who are you…?" She tried her best not to stutter, but she failed badly. They were not ninjas from konoha, what do they need from her?

"Hmph… what do we have here? A Hyuga maiden all by herself in the middle of the village invasion." The man hissed. "How lucky we are."

The other ninja chuckled and both of them walked closer to her.

Hinata was taught never to talk and entertain strangers. Maeko repeated that to her million times every single day they would meet to train. So, without giving more attention to the strange ninjas, Hinata turned away from them and sprinted out.

But… who was she kidding? They were Ninjas.

And what was she? Just a Hyuga without any use to the clan. She was not even a ninja and would never be one.

Before she could even get far from the threshold, the two ninjas appeared in front of her again in flash. This time, they knocked her out before she could even have the chance to get away from them again. Putting her to sleep was never a hard work. In one punch in the stomach, she passed out.

One of the two carried her on his shoulders, carrying her like a sack.

"The Byakugan will finally fall under the hands of Kumogakure."

* * *

White feathers surrounded the whole arena, whomever it touches suddenly falls asleep. Obviously, a genjutsu. But Hiashi would not be fooled by this idiocy. He prevented himself and his daughter, Hanabi, for being infected by it.

"Hanabi, why isn't Hinata coming back yet?" Hiashi demanded for Hanabi's explanation.

"A-as I told you earlier, father… She's with Neji-ni-san. Do not worry, she's in safe hands." Hanabi replied.

Suddenly, unknown ninjas came out clashing with Konoha shinobis. Kakashi and Gai were seen in action. Hiashi covered for his youngest daughter and stealthily led her away from the battle. Ko soon came for their aid, and asked if both of them were not hurt.

Hiashi was affirmative. "Ko. Take Hanabi home and put the clan on guard for sudden attacks. I will go find Neji and Hinata and go back soon to the compound. For now, ensure Hanabi's safety." He said.

"Yes, Lord." Ko said and followed the Leader's orders and left to take the heiress away as soon as possible.

Knowing that Hanabi was in safe hands, Hiashi made his way towards the recovery ward, where he knew Hinata and Neji would be. He needed to get there as fast as he could and take Hinata away from this place.

* * *

Neji's heartbeat was accelerating very fast. It was just a moment ago when he and Ten-ten noticed the odd silence forming in the stadium. And when they came and saw the scene, the audience was asleep and Ninjas fought around. He was such an idiot for letting Hinata go back to Hanabi and Hiashi all by herself. He should have gone with her to make sure that she really made it back to them before this happened. Now, he was not even sure if Hinata made it back safely to her family.

He decided to make use of his Byakugan to search for her in every corner of the place. "Damn it… where could she be?" he gritted his teeth.

"Calm down, Neji. I'm sure Hinata was able to go back to her father." Ten-ten said in support.

He and Ten-ten hid behind a wall to remain unnoticed by the fighting ninjas. It took him several seconds to be able to locate a Hyuga's chakra. And he finally saw Hiashi. There they are. Hanabi, Hiashi and Ko. The three of them… wait… where was Hinata? He double checked the Hyuga people he was seeing, but his Byakugan never fooled him.

Terror formed in Neji's chest.

Hinata wasn't there.

* * *

On the other side, Kakashi was busy covering for his students from the sudden battle. Naruto, Lee, Choji, Shikamaru and Ino were all affected by the genjutsu a mysterious ninja activated. Sakura was the only one who was able to prevent herself from falling into the jutsu.

"Kakashi-sensei, what should I do? I can't go follow Sasuke-kun alone… Gaara is too strong." Sakura said as she remained low on the ground.

"A three-man cell will be enough. Wake Naruto and Shikamaru up. You're in a mission to follow Sasuke and help him. Tell the details to Naruto and Shikamaru when you wake them." Kakashi said.

"But, how will we follow them? We don't know where Sasuke-kun and Gaara went." Sakura said.

Kakashi then began formed a seal of summoning with his hands. A small ninja dog came out when the process was finished.

"You called for me?" it said.

Sakura was flabbergasted, "It…It… It talked!"

"Who is this girl?" the dog said and glared at the pink-haired kunoichi.

"Pakkun. I'm assigning you in a mission with Sakura and the others to look for Sasuke." Kakashi knelt down and made Pakkun sniff the Kunai Sasuke used during his battle with Gaara.

"All right. I got it." Pakkun said. He then turned to Sakura, "Follow me, girly. Wake your companions up."

Sakura nodded.

"I leave them to you, Pakkun." Kakashi said and then he turned back to fight with the others.

Sakura and Pakkun crawled towards Naruto and Shikamaru. Naruto was definitely fast asleep. Dumbly falling down to the enemy's trap. Sakura released him from the genjutsu and he was able to regain consciousness.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto blinked.

"Good, you're awake." Sakura then turned towards Shikamaru to wake him next. But before she could even release him from the genjutsu, she noticed his brows twitching oddly. She blankly stared at him before speaking, "Hey, Shikamaru… you're not asleep at all, are you?"

Shikamaru didn't budge. He ignored Sakura's words.

"You can't fool me. I know you're awake so wake up." Sakura commanded.

Shikamaru's reply was an irritated sigh. He got up from his fake sleeping stance, "So troublesome." He muttered.

When Sakura's two companions were back to life, she began explaining their mission.

When she was done, Naruto was obviously all fired up. He was not aware with the ninja fights around him that he even stood up energetically.

"_Baka_! Keep yourself down!" Sakura hissed, but it was too late.

A ninja appeared behind Naruto, ready to stab him in a flash.

But, before the ninja could even touch the lad, he was attacked by the Konoha's green beast. He was kicked away, as well as the other Ninjas that Gai already defeated. He sent them all flying towards a wall, making a huge hole on it.

"Super eyebrows-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed.

The typical Gai grinned his shiny teeth at the blond-haired lad and made a thumbs-up. "You don't need to worry. Leave everything to Maito Gai here! Go now! Your friend needs you." He said.

"Thanks, Super Eyebrows-sensei!" Naruto said and then he, Shikamaru, Pakkun and Sakura ran out of the stadium using the hole that Gai made.

Pakkun led them the way, being certain about the Sasuke's scent. When the team ran towards the forest, Naruto attempted to look back at the stadium for a moment, keeping his thoughts to himself. He suddenly remembered the fair maiden he saw earlier during his match with Neji. If he got it correctly, her name was Hinata as he could remember. Neji said that she was the Hyuga leader's firstborn, making her the elder sister of Hanabi. It was the very first time he saw her. He doesn't even see her in the village and he memorized all the villagers' faces and he sees familiar faces every day. But, he had never seen her even once. She was not a ninja. With her clothes, he knew that she was a noble maiden.

'_I hope she's safe.'_

* * *

Apparently, she was not.

Hinata was being carried by a Kumogakure ninja in the middle of the forest. It took her a while before she woke up, and when she regained consciousness, she could see a high distance between her and the ground. She could also feel a sense of leaping. When she was back to her righteous mind, she could finally buffer things.

These were the Ninjas who approached her when she was lost in the stadium. She tried to escape from them but she was unfortunate. What could a girl like her do against two ninjas? She knew what they wanted from them… this once happened to her when she was young. The head ninja of the Kumogakure attempted to kidnap her but was immediately ceased because of her father. But right now, her father wasn't here to save her from them. They still wanted to get the Byakugan.

That was the reason why Neji's father died.

She couldn't let her uncle's sacrifice go in vain.

In spite of knowing that she stood no chance against the two kumogakure ninjas, she struggled and freed herself from her captor.

"What the-!?"

She successfully slipped away from him, but she couldn't defy the gravity from pulling her down. Luckily, she fell into the bushes, preventing her to get more injuries than few scratches. She quickly hoisted her body up when she sensed them going towards her. She didn't care where she was going. The important thing was, she needed to escape from them.

"Get back here!"

She heard one of them shout.

What were those two thinking? Of course she wouldn't want to go back to them. She was being kidnapped, for crying out loud!

So, she continued running and didn't look back. It was hard for her to double her speed because of her kimono. She was in total disadvantage here, but she knew that her God will not leave her alone.

"Somebody… help me!" she called for help.

Suddenly, a kunai came past her side, nearly passing through her skull. But all it did was make a scratch on her left cheek. Still, she didn't dare to look back.

"Play time is over, darling." One of them chuckled evilly. And he appeared ahead of her.

Hinata stopped and about-faced to run back to the opposite direction. Unfortunately, the other ninja was blocking her path.

She was trapped.

"You have nowhere to go, girl. You have no chance against us."

"The Byakugan will finally be ours."

Hinata glared at them, "N-No…" she gulped hard. "I w-won't let you."

"Hahaha! What can you do against us? You're not even a ninja and your father isn't here to protect you!"

When the two of them came closer to her, a huge claw of sand suddenly attacked one of them, putting him to sure death. Blood sputtered out of his flesh as the sharp tip of the claw came through his neck.

Hinata's knees wobbled as she saw the image of blood. She numbly fell down to her knees, trying to endure the fear building up inside her.

"Who's there!?" the alive Kumo nin shouted to brought out a kunai and prepared himself for battle.

Before he could even locate the attacker, sand coming out of nowhere began wrapping his whole body. And before anyone knew it, he quickly met his death when the sand compressed to crash his body.

Blood splashed out again, staining the frightened Hinata on the ground.

"Kehehehe… blood… blood…"

Hinata suddenly heard a maniacally laugh. An irregular figure abruptly came out… her eyes widened when she saw his form.

She remembered this person. He was also one of the contenders she saw before the final matches started. The guy with the red hair and a huge gourd on his back… what's with his form? Half of his body was in a form of sand, a large arm, a tail, and big animal ears.

The former heiress wasn't scared of him. She was just too shocked to see such an appearance… but she didn't feel scared.

"So… you're the only one remaining." Gaara hissed.

Hinata found it hard to breathe. He didn't come to save her… he came to also kill her like what he did to the kumo ninjas.

"Blood! I need to see more blood!" He shouted insanely as the sand formed at his command and flew towards Hinata.

Hinata's mind screamed at her to run away and dodge it. But, her legs wouldn't listen to her. They were too traumatized to move. It was the very first time she couldn't control her own body. Her throat was dry, her knees were weak, and her hands were shaking madly. And her eyes… were just glued to the approaching sand.

"_Run away!"_

She shouted mentally, but was completely useless.

All she could do… was wait for the attack to reach her.

Unexpectedly, a flash of black interrupted her sight on the sand. Right in front of her, a black haired shinobi blocked the attack by crossing his arms in front of his face, receiving all the damage and preventing her from getting hurt.

Hinata looked at him wide-eyed.

The sand disappeared, and both of them heard a scream from the attacker.

"AAAAAAARGHHH! Uchiha Sasuke!"

Before Gaara could attack again, two ninjas suddenly came to take him away. One had purple linings on his face, and the other one was a girl with blonde hair tied in two twin pig tails.

"This is bad… Gaara's definitely losing it." The girl said.

"We should waste no time. We have to get him away from here as soon as possible." The boy said.

Giving Sasuke one last glare, they carried Gaara away and left the Uchiha and the Hyuga.

"Hey! Wait!" Sasuke was about to chase after them, but he was too injured to move when he blocked the attack. "Damn it!" he cursed as he couldn't stop himself for crouching on the ground.

"Th… Thank you for saving my life." Hinata finally found the words to say as she mustered her strength on going to him.

Her voice caused for Sasuke to force himself look at her. Onyx orbs met silver ones.

An indescribable feeling commenced between the two.

"_A… Hyuga? In this kind of place?"_

The Uchiha thought to himself.

"_So, this is Uchiha Sasuke… the only survivor of the Uchiha clan…"_

The Hyuga thought to herself.

"You don't need to thank me. I did that because I'm that guy's opponent." Sasuke said coldly. He forced his body to stand up, but his injuries pained him like hell, causing him to wince.

"D-Do not move, please. Your injuries shall be tended first." Hinata said.

"I don't have time for this! I need to run after that guy!" Sasuke said.

Hinata looked at him in the eye, "I-I am not letting you fight him in that condition. Y-You will stand no chance." She said as bravely as she could. "I… I will help you."

"How can a Hyuga help me? You're not even a ninja."

Hinata looked down, feeling quite offended by his remarks. But, she ignored that. "I will heal your injuries." She said and then landed her palms on his injured arms. Just like what she did to Neji earlier, a white glow emerged from her hands, repairing the Uchiha's damaged muscles and getting them back good as new as if it wasn't even touched.

Sasuke looked back at her, "You're a medic?"

When Hinata was done healing his wounds, she wiped off the sweat trailing down her forehead by her sleeves.

"That is all I could do to r-repay you for saving me." Hinata said, "I pray for your win, Uchiha Sasuke-san. Do not worry about me… I can go back on my own. I-I should leave now."

Before Hinata could turn away, Sasuke grabbed her wrist, preventing her from walking away.

"Who are you? I have never seen you before."

Sasuke demanded for her name.

Hinata blushed upon the contact. No one had ever held her like that…

"I-I-I am… H-Hyuga Hinata." She replied.

"Hyuga Hinata." Sasuke echoed.

When she was done giving him her name, she took her hand away from his grasp and ran into the woods, not looking back at him. Sasuke was left staring at her as she disappeared in the opposite path he was taking. He felt an urge of chasing after her and ensure that she'd safely go back to where she had to go. But, he was involved in a more dangerous mess. He couldn't involve that girl with his fight with the one-tailed jinchuuriki.

Well, as if he cared about her.

She was just some strange Hyuga girl he just met. He did save her from Gaara, but it doesn't mean he wants to be friends with her or something. She's just nothing.

He erased those thoughts of her and turned back his attention on following Gaara. He gave the dead kumo nins one last glance, and leapt up the tree branch to where Gaara's teammate dragged him to.

But… it seemed she won't easily slip from his mind. He did have a strange feeling towards the girl.

* * *

**a/n:**

yay! chapter 4 is done! please review again! thank you! :)

**Vocabulary**

**Baka- idiot**


	5. Chapter 5: Unsolicited Meeting

**a/n:  
**

****I'm so sorry for not updating soon! kyaaaaa! I was so busy with our Science Camp... and finally, it's all over~!

And the best part is... our team, TEAM 8: MAROON PANDA(don't ask how the team name was formed. XD) ... is the CHAMPION over all! There were 15 teams who competed consisting of 30 members each. My team placed FIRST! yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees sss! all of our hardwork... TT^TT Thank God. I just can't express how happy I am. I still can't believe that we are the champions... still buffering. xD

Anyways, here's chapter 5! :) Sorry for the long wait.

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Unsolicited Meeting **

Hinata couldn't describe the emotion she felt when she met eye to eye with Uchiha Sasuke. It was a mixture of feelings. She sensed angst, hatred, loneliness, hardships and darkness surrounding his heart. Much worse than what she saw from Neji… Sasuke's heart had a very big hole that time might not be able to heal. Her chest clenched when she thought of that.

But, what was he to her?

She just met Uchiha Sasuke in the forest by chance. He shielded her from the Sand Ninja's attack because Gaara was his opponent. On top of all, he was a complete stranger to her as she was to him. But… why does she feel this way towards him? Why does she want to take away that pain and sorrow he was feeling?

Hinata stopped by and hid under a tree first to catch her breath. She had been running for quite some time nonstop. It's about time she takes a break and find the right way back to her father. She sat on one of the tree's giant roots and let her eyes explore her surroundings. Again, she had no idea where she was. As much as possible, she wanted to avoid encountering the Sand Ninja and the other Kumo Ninjas once more. Because what could she do? No matter how much she wanted to defend herself from them, she knew she stood no chance. They were ninjas… and what was she? Just a useless failure of the Hyuga clan.

The girl looked at her palms and had a depressing look on her eyes.

Sasuke's blood was still stained on both of her hands. Bloods of the two Kumo ninjas were mixed on her clothes when their bodies were crashed by the Sand Ninja. What was she able to do when that tragic encounter happened?

She just watched everyone get hurt…

What if Sasuke hadn't come? What if he weren't there to shield her from Gaara's attack?

Obviously, she would suffer the same fate as the Kumo ninjas.

Even if they think of each other as strangers, Hinata couldn't hide the fact that he was the one who saved her life from near death. There was no way that she'd see him just a stranger anymore. Without his help, she wouldn't be here, still breathing and living her life.

As the lights were dimmed by the clouds on the sky, Hinata suddenly had a painful feeling inside her chest. She forcibly held on to the tree trunk, breathing hard and sweating. Her other hand clutched her kimono as she endured the wild sensation in her body.

"Wh… What is this…?"

Before she knew it, she was finding it hard to breathe. She felt like she was being choked and her lungs were burning in unknown reasons. Without her acknowledgement, the seal on her forehead was glowing. Before the poor girl could even call for help, her sight went blurry and the next thing she knew… everything went dark.

* * *

Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru were obediently following Pakkun's direction. They were in a mission to find Sasuke and take him away from Gaara. But they were traveling for quite some time and they were seeing no signs of Gaara and Sasuke at all.

"Hey. Are we really going in the right way, dattebayo?" Naruto complained, completely getting impatient for leaping and leaping.

"Do you question my nose, kid?" Pakkun said.

"Well, we've been trying to find Sasuke but I still see no signs of him or that Gaara!" Naruto argued, "When are we going to get there?"

"Just shut up. I am 100% sure that we're going to get to them soon. If that Gaara would just stop running away, then it would be easier for us to get there." The ninja dog answered back.

"Damn it." Naruto cursed under his breath.

A needed silence suddenly formed between them. The four were on guard of their surroundings because of the Konoha invasion. Danger could be lurking behind those trees and bushes. So, they couldn't risk keeping their guards down. As the four leaped from branches to branches, a hint of yellow flash abruptly caught Naruto's blue eyes, forcing him to stop for a moment.

When his companions noticed his halt, they also stopped and looked at him.

"Naruto? What's wrong?" the pink-haired kunoichi asked.

Naruto ignored Sakura's question and looked around to confirm if he really did see something—someone rather on the ground.

Pakkun sniffed… and he was able to detect another scent.

'_What the—? What is this energy?' _

It didn't take long for Naruto to prove himself. He did see it. He did see someone on the ground and he knew who wore that kind of clothes. Without hesitations, he leapt down from the branch and went to the unconscious maiden partially hidden under a tree. When he got closer to her and saw her face, he wasn't wrong to conclude who she was.

It's her… It's the girl he saw crying during his fight with Neji in the finals.

She was Hyuga Hinata. What was she doing in a place like this?

Naruto immediately knelt down and placed her on his arms. "Oi! Wake up! What happened to you?" but the girl didn't respond. The look on her face expressed that she was in pain and Naruto didn't know what to do. His eyes trailed the figure on his arms further and he saw that her hands and clothes were stained by blood and her face had an eye-catching scratch. Her beautiful Kimono was now dirty and a little bit torn. She completely looked different compared to when he first saw her.

The lad had a depressed expression on his blue eyes, "It looks like you went through a lot." He whispered and touched her scared face. Her whole body was shaking and her face looked very pale.

"S-Some…body… H…Help m-me…"

He heard her speak in a weak voice and he could feel that she was having a hard time breathing.

"Hey! Wake up! I came here to help you." Naruto said.

The trembling Hyuga slowly opened her eyes to see the owner of the warm arms wrapped around her. Her vision was blurry… but she could familiarize a spiky yellow hair that she knew no one else owned. When her eyes adjusted with the light, silver orbs locked with blue ones. For a moment, their gazes were glued to each other, neither of them wanting to break the comforting silence between them.

Those blue eyes and those silver eyes… they had mysterious meanings behind them. And both of them do not know what it was.

"Y…You are…" Hinata spoke in a soft voice, trying her hardest to be heard normally by the lad. But, she was too weak to speak any longer. The weird sensation inside her was flaring up and she couldn't hold on anymore. As much as she wanted to stay awake, darkness filled her sight and she lost consciousness.

"Are you okay!? Oi! What happened to you?!" Naruto tried to wake her up again, but it was no use.

"Naruto! What are you doing over there?" Sakura and the others approached him.

Naruto gently placed the girl on his back and carried her. "_Gomen_, can you guys go on without me for a while?"

Sakura frowned at this, "What are you saying? And who's that girl?" she pointed.

"I need to get her back to the village! She's in danger." Naruto said.

"And so Sasuke-kun is." Sakura replied, "How about him? We're in a mission to save him, you can't just walk out on this."

"I'm not walking out! And I'm never going to abandon Sasuke. I'll catch up soon after I return this girl to the village. Sasuke is a ninja… and I won't see him as my rival if he's not strong." Naruto said and then in the speed of wind, he was gone.

"Hey! NARUTO!" Sakura shouted. "Mou… what is he thinking? And who's that girl anyway? I haven't seen her…" she said and looked at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru just shrugged and sighed, "So troublesome. It's like he's saying that Gaara is just an ordinary opponent."

"We have no time to waste. Gaara and Sasuke's scent are getting farther, we must move on." Pakkun said.

Sakura and Shikamaru looked at him and nodded. Then, they continued with their way.

'_That girl… she has a weird chakra.' _Pakkun thought to himself as he tried to familiarize the scent of the girl that Naruto found. He had never felt that kind of energy before… it was too different. Too powerful… Too obscure.

* * *

Naruto didn't know what was going through his mind. Sakura was right. Sasuke was involved in a greater danger than this mysterious Hyuga, but he chose to help her first than get to his teammate. She was a stranger… a never-seen-before person in the village but he felt something different towards her and he couldn't understand it. When the village was attacked, he couldn't understand why he first thought of her safety than anybody else… when he left for the mission, he couldn't understand why he was so concerned about her… when he suddenly saw her in the middle of the forest, his mind nearly exploded of thinking what had happened to her and she fell into that state.

Deep inside him, why was he treating her with so much importance?

"O…otou-san… he… help m-me…"

Hinata mumbled in pain.

"It… burns… why…? Why does it… hurt… so… much…?"

"Hang in there. I'm taking you back to the village to Neji. You'll be fine so hold on, _dattebayo_." He said.

Naruto felt her wrap her arms tighter around him and sighing in relief. "_Arigato_…" she slowly shut her eyes and the pain written on her face faded away.

Hinata felt an instant pain reliever. The heat in her chest was replaced by a gentle warmth… it was slowly healing the agony in her heart and her trembling was stopped.

Naruto was relieved that she finally subsided. He was really worried about her state for she was in great pain and he didn't know what to do to cure her. But what troubled him most was why she was in the middle of the forest all by herself. She was no ninja, she was a Hyuga like Neji. Why would she be alone in this kind of place and be left unprotected?

And the blood stains on her Kimono, by looking at it, she definitely went through a lot.

All of a sudden, he heard a sound from a branch. He quickly looked around, and much to his dismay, a ninja abruptly appeared behind him. Before the enemy could lay hands on them, Naruto swiftly dodged him and went to a different direction. Unfortunately, there was another ninja who occurred right beside the blond-haired ninja, intending to take Hinata away from him. But, thanks to his fast reflexes, he was able to get away and land on the ground gracefully.

These bastards were definitely after Hinata. Now, he knew why she was in this kind of place.

Someone was trying to kidnap her.

Why? Of course, she was a Hyuga. A kin of the strongest bloodline in Konoha.

"Give the girl to us, brat!" the kumo ninja said.

The two ninjas blocked his path, causing him to step back.

"Come on! We don't want this to be hard, do we?" the other one said.

Hinata, who was partly awake, shivered on Naruto's back. She was clinging on him as if her life depended on him.

"Never!" Naruto shouted in a firm voice, "YOU WILL NOT LAY A FINGER ON THIS GIRL!" he then formed a cross with his hands and declared a jutsu.

"Kagebunshin no jutsu!"

Several Narutos with Hinata on his back puffed out of a smoke and all of them sprinted away at the same time, leaving the two ninjas confused of whom to chase after.

"Damn it, that brat is too tricky. Hn, but he can't trick us… does he think he's the only one who can use that jutsu?" just like what Naruto did, the kumo ninjas used the same technique and chase after the bunshins.

.

.

.

Naruto doubled his speed in order to get the hell out of this forest. Hand this girl to them? NEVER. A poor, innocent girl like her to be kidnapped by those ninjas, he will not let that happen. Now that he was involved with her danger, he will do everything to protect her.

She was still shaking and her flesh was all cold. She was definitely scared…

"Hinata. Don't worry… I will not let anything happen to you. I will definitely protect you, I promise." Naruto said.

The lad's words made the maiden look up to him, a shocked expression written on her face. "Y…You know my name?"

"Yeah, Neji told a little bit of your life to me." He said, "And… I saw you during our match. Our gazes met when I was fighting Neji and you were crying."

Hinata looked down in silence and shades of red formed on her cheeks.

"Why… Why are you saving… me?"

"Isn't that obvious? I'm a ninja from Konoha, and you are a citizen. If my dream is to be a Hokage, I should care for the villagers and protect them. You are in need so I came to help you_, dattebayo_." He simply explained.

Hinata smiled to herself, "I can sense that… Naruto-san is a very strong person. To be able to defeat my cousin… and to be able to have the courage to fulfill your dreams… you're an amazing person."

Naruto chuckled, "Of course, I'm a strong ninja! I'm amazing! After all, I'm the future Hokage of this village!"

It was awkward that both of them found the opportunity to laugh despite the dangerous situation they're in.

Both of them were starting to feel more comfortable with each other in spite of the fact that this was the very first time they met and being strangers. He felt so warm and light towards her and at the same time, she also felt the same.

So much for a great interruption with their moment, the ugly kumo nins came to destroy their getting-to-know-each-other moment. Naruto felt irritated by their appearance and leaped faster from branch to branch.

"They're pushy, aren't they? Damn it." Naruto cursed under his breath as he thought of a plan to fight them. He hated to admit it, he was in a huge disadvantage. He just can't fight them all by himself without someone protecting Hinata. Bunshins would not be enough to defeat a higher rank shinobi and they have a greater chance of kidnapping Hinata. BUT. Over his dead body.

"Wh-what should we do? W-we're outnumbered." Hinata asked.

"Don't worry. I won't let them touch a single hair from you." Naruto said with a smirk as Hinata blushed. He descended from above and placed her behind him. He stood protectively in front of her as the two ninjas soon appeared again.

"Your bunshins are gone. Hand her to us! You have no chance to win!"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I won't hand this girl over to you assholes!" Naruto shouted and did the bunshin jutsu. Hundreds of Narutos appeared and attacked the enemies.

Before the bunshins could reach the Kumo nins, one of them did hand signs and formed a jutsu.

"Doton: Ganban Kyu no jutsu!"

Rocks around them suddenly floated and aimed directly at Naruto's bunshins. Few were able to hit him, but he kept on reproducing the clones as long as he could.

"Darn. This kid is too annoying," the other Kumo nin commented. It was his turn to help his companion eliminate the pests. By forming several signs with his hands, "Katon: Karyu Endan no jutsu!"

A gigantic flamethrower came out of the user's mouth, aiming at all of Naruto's bunshins, resulting all of them to vanish to thin air. He also targeted the ground, creating a circle of flame around them in order to trap the brats.

"Damn it! This can't happen! Tajuu kagebunshin no jutsu!" Naruto repeated the same jutsu all over again. They all threw shurikens at the Kumo ninjas, but his attacks were useless when the earth-user created a wall of mud in front of them.

"Tsk. This is getting more annoying. Just give the girl to us already!"

"NO WAY! I will not give her to any of you! I do not go back on my own words because that is my ninja way!"

Naruto then called for clones again to distract the kidnappers. While the two ninjas were focused on eliminating the bunshins, he took the opportunity to get Hinata out of the fire trap. When he was able to find an opening from the ring of fire, he took Hinata by the hand and quickly ran towards it. Just when they were yards away from getting the hell out, the fire-user blocked their path.

"Where do you think you're going?" He said.

Naruto gritted his teeth and secured the girl behind him. His eyes toured around again to look for another way out, but he felt a strong impact on his stomach that it made him spew out blood. Within a second, he was in the grasp of the Kumo nin, strangling him with one large hand.

"Get out of the way, pest." The ninja growled and threw Naruto towards a firm tree, hurting his back badly.

"Naruto-san!" Hinata yelled and rushed towards the injured lad. But the earth-user came and claimed her.

"Better come with us now, girlie." He said.

"N-No! L-Let go of me!" Hinata struggled with his grip, but she was not that strong to get away from him.

"Just be a good girl and obey us!" he then slapped the girl with the back of his hand that made her lose her balance and fall on the ground as he released her. He laughed maniacally, "Oh, That felt good. The boss said we can't kill you… but that doesn't mean we're not allowed to hurt you." He grinned evilly.

"Oi. Stop that. Your sadistic side is showing again. Remember, she's important… we can't easily hurt her." The other one said.

"Che. Who are you to command me? You're not the boss. Besides, a few slaps and punches won't hurt much, right? We can say that she just struggled too much and fell down when we were carrying her and leaping along the branches. I bet the boss can't complain when we successfully delivered her to the village." He replied, "We're not like the other two who were just killed mysteriously and disgracefully failing the mission assigned to them."

The other one sighed. "All right. Do what you want. Just don't get her killed."

"Hehehe… This will be so much fun…" he laughed again.

Hinata stared at him in horror. There was blood coming out of her lips and a bruise on her cheek.

"Where should I aim next? The stomach? The arm? The head? Oh, I know… the ankles… so you can never run away from us!"

The earth-user was about to step hard on her, but… Naruto came and gave him a strong punch at the jaw, sending him flying away. The blond-haired lad was breathing hard, he then glared at the other ninja who was about to slash him with a kunai.

Naruto's eyes were red, his blood boiling to its highest point. His moves were faster than before. He quickly got a kunai from his pouch and countered the Kumo nin's attack. He made their weapons clash, and when the enemy was near enough, he grabbed his arm and threw him towards the flames.

"Naruto-san…!"

"You bastards… You're all going to pay for what you did to Hinata!" He growled. Faster than a second, he appeared behind the earth-user and kicked him hard on the side, the enemy flew away again, but Naruto already got to the other end, hitting him strongly once more. Before he could continue with his fast beatings with the earth-jounin, the fire-user created small fireballs and went along the lad's direction.

Naruto immediately sensed it so he was able to dodge. He jumped up and took three kunais from his pouch and threw them at the attacker. Perfectly accurate, he was able to hit both of the fire-user's arms and his left leg.

They all heard him scream in pain. But Naruto was not that merciful this time. He created five bunshins and ran towards him. Starting by the first bunshin sliding down the ground and kicking him up the sky, and so on with the other clones hitting him on the air.

"U-ZU-MA-KI NARUTO RENDAN!"

With one last strong kick on the back of the jounin's neck, the fire-user passed out when he hit the ground and sputtered blood.

One down. One more to go.

"Naruto-san! Behind you!" Hinata yelled with all her might.

Naruto spun to see the earth-user on his feet with sharp needles made of mud floating around him, the lad readied his defense from the attack when he suddenly heard a laugh from the ninja.

"IDIOT! This is not for you! I have more fun seeing girls scream!"

Then the needles traveled quickly towards the unprotected maiden.

"HINATA!"

Naruto mustered his speed in reaching the girl, but the needles were faster than he was. He knew he wasn't going to make it. He felt as if a knife stabbed his throat when he thought of what would happen to her. But the terror disappeared when he heard a familiar voice.

"KAITEN!"

In a speed of wind, a blue barrier came in front of Hinata, effectively blocking all the attack and leaving the Hyuga daughter unharmed.

When the kaiten disappeared, its user revealed Neji.

"What?! Another Hyuga?!" the earth-user exclaimed.

Neji glared at him and went on his gentle fist stance, ready to attack any time. But another person already did the work for him.

"Hakke Kusho!"

A tremendous wind all of a sudden hit the jounin and blew him off to a far distance. With that one hit, the enemy wasn't able to get on his feet again.

"Neji-ni-san… Otou-sama…" Hinata surprisingly looked up to them.

Neji crouched in front of her with certain anxiousness in his voice's tone, "Hinata-sama… were you unharmed?"

"I-I'm all right… Naruto-san helped me—" before she could finish with her explanation, she heard a loud thud not far from them, drawing her attention to its direction. Then there, she saw that Naruto fell down the ground.

"Naruto-san!" she immediately rose up and ran towards him.

_Naruto? What is he doing here?_

Neji thought to himself.

Without hesitations, Hinata began healing Naruto, a blue light coming out from her hands this time. She was doing energy transfer, different from what she did to Sasuke and Neji.

"You'll be fine, Naruto-san… hang on." Hinata said softly.

Hiashi was interestingly staring at his daughter's action, just like Neji, he was also surprised seeing Hinata having such a skill. Was this she was capable of doing? Was this what she learned from Maeko's training?

After several seconds, Hinata was done healing Naruto. His eyes opened and met with hers. He was back to normal and he was feeling better than ever.

His sight was welcomed by the maiden's warm smile. Before either of them could speak, it was Hinata's turn to lose consciousness.

"Hinata!" Naruto quickly caught her in his arms, complete anxiousness plastered on his face.

Neji immediately came over to check on his slender cousin, "Don't worry. She's just exhausted." He said.

Naruto sighed in relief, "That's good to hear. She's been through a lot and I don't know how she was able to survive all by herself in the middle of this forest… I'm glad I found her."

"These Kumo ninjas probably took advantage of the invasion of the village and kidnapped Hinata-sama." Neji said, "Naruto, thank you for your help. Thanks for protecting Hinata-sama."

"It's nothing." Naruto grinned.

Hiashi then came into the scene and looked down at the blond-haired boy. He knew, this was the kid with the nine-tailed fox. The person he least wanted to meet, especially with his daughter. But, the lad was able to impress him with his fight with Neji. By his courage of saying that he will change the Hyuga's destiny when he becomes the Hokage. His negative feelings towards the genin decreased by hearing that... and it was also because of him that Hiashi was able to clear things with Neji.

Sure, he can say that his thought changed towards the guy. But, when it comes with his daughter, he would not take the risk to let him get close to her. Even if he did save her from danger.

"Uzumaki Naruto. I sincerely thank you for saving my daughter." Hiashi said and took Hinata on his arms. "Truthfully, you impress me with your strength. I really am thankful that you came to rescue my daughter, I shall reward you for your heroic deeds."

Naruto stood up and scratched the back of his head, "Th-That won't be necessary, err, sir." He said, "Hinata is safe… that's what's important to me. I'm contented by knowing that she's in safe hands. I wished I was able to meet her sooner, I have a very strong feeling that we will be great friends!"

Hiashi inwardly frowned, this is what he was afraid of.

"All I could ask from you is… treat her with more care. She may not be like Hanabi-chan or Neji who are strong Ninjas, but… Hinata has her great points, too. I heard that she's been trying hard just to be acknowledge by her father so, I hope that you do realize how hard she was working just to get herself accepted by you." Naruto said, "That's my only wish to have as a reward. Now that she's back to you, please treat her better than you have ever treated her before." He then grinned at the Hyuga leader.

"I know what I would do with my daughter. You need not to remind me." Hiashi answered.

Naruto laughed idiotically, "Oh, r-right. Hehehe." He said and then he remembered something.

SASUKE.

"Ah! I better go, I still have an unfinished mission." Naruto said to them, "Please, tell Hinata that I'll come to visit her once all this commotion is over. Good bye!" in a speed of wind, he leaped from tree to tree to make his way to Sasuke and the others. He was assured that the girl is in safe hands now.

Hiashi and Neji were left staring at the number one prankster of the village. Who would ever know that that kid could grow so strong?

Hiashi looked down at his sleeping daughter on his arms, the lad's voice ringing in his head_. _

"_That's my only wish to have as a reward. Now that she's back to you, please treat her better than you have ever treated her before."_

True… Hiashi agreed with Naruto. Years flew by and he never focused his attention to her. Thinking that she was weak and would never be qualified as the Hyuga heiress. So, he chose to lock her up in her room in order to keep her safe… but he never realized that he was being very harsh towards her.

Second chances are rarely given… and he would not waste that chance anymore.

"Let's go home, Neji." Hiashi said.

"Yes, Hiashi-sama."

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:  
**

****that's it for chapter 5. Please r&r! ^^ thank you!


	6. Chapter 6: The Agreement

**a/n:  
**

****I thank you all so much for the reviews! :)) I'm glad that we did have a 5-day semestral break. (Should I still call that a semestral break? Well, I don't think so.) I was just lucky because the next days were holidays and weekends that's why my break was consisted of 5 days. TT_TT Well, I was able to relax for a while and forget all of what I need to do in school. That felt reaaaallly good! All I did was to continue with this story. hihihi.

But unfortunately, school's back... and I know... I'll be loaded with tons of work again. Plus, the stress. (Boo!)

****Oh, look at me ramble.

Anyways, so much of the Author's note. With no further ado, I give you... chapter 6!~

**Disclaimer: I own not Naruto.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Agreement**

It has been a week and Hinata's life was back to the way it was. Her freedom... the village… the outside world… she was forbade to see them all again. At least, her father's treatment of her was different from it was before. Compared to her previous caged life, her father suddenly changed his attitude. He spoke to her more frequently, he watched her as she trained with Maeko and she was also allowed to go around the household. Plus, she was happy that she was able to be with Neji. At first, she was against of having him as her bodyguard since she doesn't want to treat her cousin as a servant… but it was Neji who insisted to guard her personally and her father was convinced. She knew they were making the security tighter since the Village was under renovation due to the invasion last week, the forces of the village would not be that strong because of the loss of its Hokage. She knew that her father was doubling his protection due to the fact that she also nearly got kidnapped during the invasion.

Ever since the day she was saved by Naruto, she never knew what was happening around the village after the attack. All that Neji told her was the humble Hokage of Konoha has been killed by his former student, who appeared to be one of the legendary Sannins. Hinata had read about them; she knew their names for she idolized their strengths and abilities. All her life, being locked in the household and had limitations of places of where to go, the only hobbies she was able to develop were pressing flowers and reading books. Being prohibited of knowing the current state of the village, the only solution she could think of in knowing her home better was to read its history. Still, being knowledgeable of the village's history was not enough for her. After all, she wanted to feel the present time, not the past.

She hoped she could return to that day… when Naruto came to save her. She didn't want to pass out that time, but she felt very weak. When she woke up, it was a new day and she was back in her room. Her mother was shedding tears of joy beside her bed when she regained consciousness. After that, she wasn't able to see Naruto again. She still haven't even thanked him properly yet.

Ever since that day, there was not a time that she didn't think of him. Morning, afternoon and evening… her mind had been occupied by the lad. Like right now…

Hinata was seated by the edge of the hallway in front of the pond of Koi, reading a book about the first Hokage's heroic deeds. But her eyes and mind were not focused at the book… she was staring up the sky, thinking of somebody else.

"I wasn't even able to thank him…" She whispered to herself and sighed.

If she could just come out…

"Hinata-sama."

A deep polite voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts. She was distracted that she nearly dropped the book from her lap. She then turned to look at the source of the voice. Just as she expected, it was her cousin.

"I apologize for distracting you. Are you well, Hinata-sama? Hiashi-sama told me that you were spacing out again." Neji said.

"O-Oh… I-I'm fine." Hinata smiled vaguely, "Also… you should stop calling me "Hinata-sama"… I'm not the heiress anymore so…"

Neji looked gently at her. "Please, do not forbid me to. Even if Hinata-sama and Hiashi-sama had already forgiven me for all the hatred I felt towards the Main Family… I still haven't forgiven myself. I am very much willing to serve the Main house until I feel that I deserve to be forgiven." He said.

"Neji-ni-san…"

"Putting all those aside, I came to inform you that you have a visitor." Neji said.

Hinata closed her book and tilted her head, "A visitor?"

"Come now. The coast is clear." Neji said and perplexity was completely written on the maiden's face.

Hinata blinked as she turned towards where Neji sent his message. All of a sudden, a blond-haired lad appeared on top of the huge wall, looking back and forth and side wards to see if no one saw him trespassing. When his eyes landed on the fair maiden seated by the pond, his smile shone as brightly as the sun. The girl was flabbergasted.

"Na…Naruto-san?"

Naruto jumped down quietly to the ground and went closer to the girl. "Yo!"

"Wh-What are you doing here?" she stammered.

Naruto vaguely scratched the back of his head and looked away from her with slightly pink cheeks, "Well, I really planned visiting you as soon as possible but they won't let me out the hospital after a week… I just wanted to see how you are doing after all that." He replied.

Hinata looked down, cheeks can be compared to a tomato. She fidgeted her fingers nervously, "I-I-I wasn't able to th-thank you properly wh-when you saved me back then…" she stood up from her seat and bowed in front of him, "_Honto ni arigatou gozaimasu_."

Naruto laughed awkwardly, "That's nothing. You can always count on me!"

Neji smiled inwardly at the scene he was seeing. That was the very first time Hinata ever communicated with a non-Hyuga blood. He was satisfied to see that the maiden was happy seeing Naruto. Because he knew that she was thinking about the blond-haired lad even if she didn't admit it to him. She was always spacing out and out of herself and she would get surprised when he states Naruto's name. She was very easy to read.

"I shall leave the two of you for a while. I will keep guard while you talk." Neji said and then he glared at Naruto, "No touch, I'm telling you. Not even a strand of her hair." He then exited the room after his threat. Well, he knew Naruto. He was an extreme prankster and very unpredictable.

"I-I got that! And I won't do something to her, you know! I'm not a bad person, dattebayo!" Naruto said.

When they were left alone, an intensive silence formed between them. Naruto sat beside her and Hinata felt awkward by having him at her side. It's not that she didn't want him beside her, it's just… she was nervous that she didn't know what to do to entertain her guest. If she would say something, she'd just stammer badly that he might hate her for it.

"So, how are you doing?" He finally broke the ice.

Hinata gulped, "I-I'm doing fine… How about you? Are you all better?"

"Yeah, I'm completely fine as if nothing happened. I heal really fast so those wounds were nothing." Naruto replied, "And… I really don't know what you did to me to recover fast from the fight I had with those who wanted to kidnap you. You were such a great help to me. If you weren't there, I couldn't have beaten Gaara."

Hinata nervously played with her fingers, "I-I really wasn't of any help. I… I also wanted to apologize because… I got you involved into something that you have no concern of. Because of me… you got hurt." She said.

"Come on, don't say that! Everything already happened, blaming yourself wouldn't do anything. Besides, I'm still in one piece!" Naruto said to make her cheer up, "To tell the truth, those kumo nins I fought with were no match to the battle I had with Gaara. Their strengths were not even one-fourth of his!"

_Gaara._

Hinata remembered that name. He was the one who intended to kill her in the forest if Sasuke hadn't shown up to save her.

She looked down her lap and grasped her book, "I… I met him one time in the forest." She said.

Naruto blinked at this, "You did?"

Hinata nodded shyly, "He was in a… monster form… and he killed those first two who captured me. And… he also intended to kill me that time." her voice grew weaker as she said her words, "I really thought I was going to die."

Naruto had a solemn look on his face, his energetic nature momentarily left his body. "I see… that's why you had those blood stains. You sure went through a lot that time." he said, wearing a depressed look on his blue eyes. "Nee, Hinata… were you… scared of Gaara's form? Were you scared of him being a monster…?"

Hinata's gaze was automatically taken by the boy, locking it to his pathetic look.

"Gaara was despised in his own village. Everyone called him monster, demon and other ugly names that would definitely hurt a person's feelings. He was feared by many. No one dared to talk to him or even become his friend… He was alone in his life." Naruto said, "Do you fear someone like him?"

"My mother… always told me that I should not judge people by the outside appearance. I believed her teachings and kept it to heart up to this moment." She began, "At first, I got scared of Gaara-san… Not with his appearance, but with death. I was scared to get my life taken by someone with my own age—I would become the reason why he had sinned. I-I didn't want that to happen… But then, I felt something inside Gaara-san… His heart, it was so lonely and he was crying in the inside. Who am I to judge…? There must by a reason why he got like that… I felt that… he really didn't want to kill and hurt people. Something was just forcing him to and that is what I have no knowledge of."

Naruto was drawn away from his somber. Amused by Hinata's words, "You're not… scared of Gaara?"

Hinata shook her head. "Why should I be…? I know, he's not really a monster. He's kind at heart and I felt it. No one deserves to be despised, that is what I believe."

For a moment, Hinata didn't feel awkward by the nearness between them. Their eyes were warmly staring at each other and both of them couldn't describe what they were feeling.

For Hinata, she could feel the pain in Naruto's heart exactly like what Gaara had. Just by looking ino his beautiful blue eyes, it's as if she was also suffering the same way as he is. The pain of not being accepted, loved nor respected… The pain of being a nobody. The pain of being not needed. She could clearly see those inside him. But, there was another pain that she couldn't describe… a sorrow that was much painful than what she owned. But on top of the sadness and pain, she could clearly see the determination, the strength and courage of fulfilling his dreams. She knew… he was going to be a great shinobi someday.

Naruto never felt comfortable with talking to those people whom he just met. Just like Hinata, she was just a stranger a week ago, and he could say that they were never friends because this was only the second time they saw each other in their whole life. But… everything felt so different. He also felt this on the first time he saw her and that confused him so much. She was the only person who gave so much comfort to him and made him believe that not anyone despise creatures like Gaara and him. He hoped… He hoped that everyone in Konoha thinks the same way like her. There was Iruka, Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke who accepted him… but when it came to Hinata, it was so different. It's like if a person like her would hate him, he would also hate himself.

"You know what, Hinata… I can somehow sense that we've met each other before." Naruto said.

Hinata had the perplexed look again. "What do you mean?"

"W-Well, you know…" Naruto suddenly wanted to punch himself for thinking aloud. He wasn't supposed to say that but it just came out. Now, what would he tell her? Tell her that he felt something different on the first time they met?

No.

"I mean that—well, I think I saw you somewhere before…?"

Great excuse.

"I apologize but, I doubt that. I was never allowed to go out the compound ever since I was a child. It was just last week… w-when I was able to step on our village's streets again. And I don't know when father will allow me to go out again."

_Pang. _That kind of clenched his heart. Just what could he do to make this girl happy? It's like she was having such a lonely life… being locked in this compound and having no friends, he couldn't imagine how she was able to live up to this moment. It was Neji who told him that compared to anyone in the family, she was the one who suffers most. What would Neji mean by that?

"But you know, Naruto-san… I'm really thankful that I-I met you." Hinata said, "Even if it was just a brief moment of freedom, even if my life was nearly taken… I'm really thankful that God gave me a chance to meet you." She smiled at him, "I'm really happy… that for once… I'm able to meet a person like you."

Naruto became speechless.

"Wh-when Naruto-san was fighting Neji-nii-san… I didn't know why I wanted you to win. And when you said that you'd change the fate of the Hyuga, I was really amazed. Your determination… your dedication… and your strength… I never knew that I would meet an amazing person like you. It really is an honor for me." She said.

Naruto really didn't know how to react. That was the very first time… someone said those words to him. That was the very first time someone said that she was happy she was able to meet someone like him. That was the very first time he received such a praise. Did he deserve it?

He just responded by scratching his cheek and smiling back at her.

_She really knows how to make me feel light. _

"Hinata… If it's all right, can I visit you?" he asked.

"Eh?"

"I know it's not allowed but, don't worry. I will defend you from your father if he found out." Naruto whispered, "But I assure you, he won't discover. I'm the most unpredictable Ninja in the village, after all."

Hinata slightly giggled at that, "But, Naruto-san… Father will not be pleased, not only him… but also the other Hyuga. You will be in big trouble if they found out and I worry about you. I don't want you to be in trouble just because of me… again."

"Hey, hey. I want to do this. For the both of us… Trust me, it's going to be all right. It's just going to be our secret, okay?" Naruto said. "From this day on, we are officially friends. And I care for my friends so much, especially if it's you."

Hinata blushed, "Naruto-san…"

"Plus, don't call me Naruto-san anymore. It's so formal! I'm not really good with honorifics, Hinata." Naruto said.

"Then… is Naruto-kun all right…?"

_Naruto-kun. _That sounded really pleasant when she spoke his name.

"Yeah, I kind of like that. Go with the Naruto-kun."

"All right, Naruto-kun." She smiled brightly at him.

Naruto then found himself skipping a heartbeat.

* * *

It was a peaceful day for Maeko as she was inside the carriage to travel to Konoha. Her loyal servant and student, Shinra, was her company for the first time to get to the Hyuga household. She guessed it was time for Shinra to meet the Hyuga heiress. After all, the priestess has been wanting to meet the Hyuga for a very long time. Maeko knew that Shinra also sensed something in Hinata… After all, the girl was also a no ordinary priestess. She was born with a skill of a shaman, she knew the girl had the ability to see and sense the person Maeko was meeting.

As she was staring out the window, a flash of images suddenly appeared on the back of her mind. It was Hinata… in the middle of the forest, going to be attacked by an unknown sand… and a raven-haired boy came to defend her. Then flashes of images of the boy's face came quickly… there was a scene when he was in the Hyuga household talking with Hinata… then a scene where he was fighting… and a scene where he activated a jutsu that made his eyes turn red. The unexplainable flashes continued, the boy was still the main character, this time… he was older. He was with an older Hinata… in a forest… sitting by the pond as he leaned closer to her.

Her head began spinning and it suffered a great pang. Beads of sweat started to stream down her face as she began to breathe hard.

"Head Priestess! Please, answer me! Are you all right?!" Shinra was there to support her.

When the pain in Maeko's head lessened, she leaned on Shinra in exhaustion. "I saw it… I saw him…"

"Him?" Shinra's brows furrowed.

"The sacred priestess's savior… I saw him…" Maeko said and then looked directly at her student's eyes.

"It's the Uchiha…"

* * *

"It has been far too long, Hiashi. The same Hyuga blood flows in her veins… but there are no signs that she is qualified to become one." The one of the Hyuga elders said to Hiashi as they were inside the Hyuga Council to discuss an important family matter.

"Hinata is still the firstborn of the Main family. I strongly oppose to transfer her to the Branch Family without any doubt. That is my decision and I have no intentions of changing it." Hiashi said.

"Placing her in the Branch Family is one of our choices, too. But, that is our last option. That will only occur if there are no other ways to gain benefit from her."

"What did you say?" Hiashi frowned.

"There is one way we have thought of to make her useful to our clan." The elder's Hyuga eyes focused on Hiashi, "Ever since the girl was a child, she brought nothing but disgrace to our clan. Indeed, she is a burden to all of us. In the future, if we continue keeping her without gaining any benefits from the maiden, she might possibly be the cause of our clan's downfall. Because of her under-qualification of possessing the Byakugan and being a ninja, she would bring great disadvantage and shame to all of us."

"You got it all wrong. My daughter, she was—"

"I care not for the reasons why she was born differently. It is your fault why she became a failure. It is your fault why she had to carry the sin of your generation." The Hyuga elder shot back. "As long as the maiden is alive, she will be useless to our clan for she doesn't even have the ability to learn the basic techniques of being a Ninja… and most of all, of being a Hyuga! It is our clan which is at stake here. For all these years, the clan's reputation is the most important of all. Many lives have been sacrificed to protect and make the Hyuga clan an outrageous family."

Hiashi clenched his fists. "Then what do you plan to do with my daughter?"

The elderly man coughed on his fists before he began, "All of us had agreed on one term. I believe that you know the only survivor of the Uchiha clan. The boy who competed with the Sand's Gaara, the son of the Kazekage. He is known as Uchiha Sasuke, the second son of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto."

"I am knowledgeable of the boy. Hinata said that he was the one who saved her when Gaara's sand attacked her." Hiashi said.

"Is that so? Then they already know each other?" The Hyuga elder said, "That is good to hear."

"Wait, do not tell me that you intend to…"

"Yes. We intend to make Uchiha Sasuke the husband of Hyuga Hinata."

Hiashi's eyes widened at this. The Uchiha blood and the Hyuga blood to be combined? He had never imagined such a thing before.

"This will be the first time our clan would join forces with another clan. The Uchiha clan was once a prestigious clan in the village, too. Almost as strong as the Hyuga. If the massacre hadn't occurred, the Uchiha might be reining the village." The elder said, "Since we found no other ways to make use of Hinata, we planned to arrange her marriage with the Uchiha survivor. She would bear a child with the Hyuga and Uchiha blood, and the Uchiha clan will be reborn again. The combined strengths of the Uchiha and Hyuga would make our village superior of the other hidden villages."

The elderly woman then spoke, "We will finally see the purpose of the child. If she will marry the Uchiha, then she would not be placed in the Branch family. She will be treated as a member of the Main family, more of like an heiress too. I believe you do not plan to oppose our decision, am I right, my son?"

Hiashi closed his eyes. "Please, give me time to think."

Hiashi was walking at the hallways, on his way to speak with his daughter. He was stopped when a servant suddenly approached him, informing that the Head Priestess had arrived. He let the servant lead him towards the room where Maeko was kept, and when he reached his destination, Maeko spoke the words that were very far from a formal greeting.

"Hiashi-sama! I saw it! I was able to see it." Maeko said desperately. Shinra was right beside her, prepared for anything about to happen if the head priestess would exert herself again.

Hiashi looked at the middle-aged woman. Unsure of what she was talking about.

"It's the Uchiha, milord. It's the Uchiha who'd save Hinata-sama!"

"What?"

* * *

Hinata was very happy today. Naruto was a very funny guy, she laughed at his jokes, pranks and stories. She never thought that there was a ninja like him… based from what she read in books, her thoughts of what a ninja would be like was them being serious all the time. Like her father and Neji. Now, her point of view towards a Shinobi was completely changed.

"I'm sorry to interrupt both of you." Neji then slid a shogi ajar, "It is time for you to leave, Naruto." He said.

"Eh? But why? We still have lots to talk about." Naruto complained.

"Hiashi-sama is on his way to see Hinata-sama. It will be bad if he sees you trespassing in the compound." Neji explained.

"Tsk. All right. But, why don't we just tell him that I want to be Hinata's friend? That way, I won't be illegally coming in your compound." Naruto said.

"I'm sorry, I cannot do that. Hinata-sama is prohibited to meet somebody else, so I believe that this would be the first and last time you will come to visit her." Neji said.

"Che. You're just scared to be blamed that it is your fault why I was able to come inside without being noticed." Naruto mumbled but in a normal volume for Neji to hear.

Neji's eyebrows twitched. That Naruto… after approving with his desire to visit his slender cousin, he would go and say things like that in order to thank him? A jyuuken on the stomach would be enough.

"But, I understand you, don't worry. I won't sell you out." Naruto winked. He then turned to Hinata and smiled at her. "I guess I better get going. You better keep our secret well, dattebayo."

Hinata smiled back and nodded, "Yes. I promise… I will keep it well."

Neji looked at Naruto, then back to Hinata, and then back to Naruto. "Secret?" he looked confused.

Naruto stuck out his tongue, "That's none of your concern, Neji. It's just between me and Hinata. Well, you'll eventually find it out sooner… or even later."

"Just get out of here right now before somebody else sees you." Neji said.

Naruto stood up from his seat and stretched his arms. Hinata also stood up.

"I-I really had a great time with you today, Naruto-kun." Hinata said with a blush.

"Same here." Naruto smirked at her pink cheeks. "It's disappointing that Neji had to already drive me out of your house… I still want to stay to know more about your life. But yeah, rules are rules. Rules are supposed to be followed."

Hinata smiled at the ground.

"So… I better go before I get killed by your father." Naruto said and went down to the backyard.

Neji went to him before he completely gets out of the Hyuga compound, he whispered in a serious voice "I'm telling you, Naruto. You will not visit Hinata again. It would be a huge trouble if someone finds you near her."

"I know that already. Just trust me. I won't get you or her in trouble." Naruto then took one last glance at the girl and waved good bye at her. She waved back. He then leapt up the wall, and got out of the base of the Hyuga clan.

_Follow the rules of the Hyuga? Talk to my ass. I'm no Hyuga… plus, I'm the number one unpredictable ninja in the village._

That's what he thought as he traveled to the training ground to practice.

TO BE CONTINUED.

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**a/n:**

****So... Sasuke would soon appear again. Well, to tell you guys the truth, this would be a NaruHina and SasuHina. Yep, it's a love triangle. I argued with this over and over again of who should I make Naruto's rival... would it be Kiba or Sasuke? Of course, Sasuke was the one I picked because his rivalry with Naruto was veeeeeerrrry strong and I thought that he would be a very effective character in the story. I could put twists and turns with him, Hinata and Naruto easier and make their lives crueler... (kekekekeke)

Plus, I humbly accept constructive criticism. :) I don't have a BETA after all so... I may not realize some of my errors. But I've been doing my best for this fic to be pleasant to read. ^^ If someone wants to be the BETA of a person like me... I would greatly and happily accept that! :D

Please, r&r. Thank you!


	7. Chapter 7: Deeper Reasons

**a/n:  
**

... *hides behind a tree* i-is it okay to show myself to you guys? *pops out head* First of all, I would like to thank all of you for your reviews.

I know... not all of you wants a SasuHina, and I'm sorry for that. I warn you... Sasuke will be a bastard here. BUT! LET ME REMIND ALL OF YOU... *gets a megaphone* THIS IS A NARUHINA FANFIIIIIIIIIIIIIIC! *echo echo echo echo* I'm still a solid NaruHina fan no matter what happens. So... I hope that I won't lose any of my dear readers just because of the teme... TT^TT

And the savior thing about Naruto and Sasuke, don't worry, it will unfold soon, I suppose? Again, this is a NARUHINA!

Plus, of course, Sasuke will not forget about Itachi or the revenge for his clan. No way I would do that to him... I don't want to get him out of character just because of Hinata. He's still a bastard, dun worry.

I decided to update soon because... My... My schedule... is verrrry tight this week and next weeeeeeeeeek! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA H! NOOOOOOOOO! I SO WANT CHRISTMAS BREAK RIGHT NOW! TT^TT

maybe I won't be able to update for 2 weeks, but... I will do my best to touch my laptop!

I just hope I won't be killed for this chapter.

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Deeper reasons  
**

Sasuke didn't know why he had to walk in the hallways of the Hyuga compound. Never had he imagined in his whole life that he would enter the Hyuga Clan's mansion and be led by a Hyuga servant. He was peacefully training a jutsu in the training grounds when suddenly a pale-eyed servant came to tell him that the Hyuga Leader was asking for his presence. So troubling… all his life, he was never associated with the said clan. Even before the tragic massacre occurred, the Uchiha and Hyuga never had a friendly relationship.

So… what does the clan head need from him? From a pure Uchiha?

"This way, Uchiha-sama. Hiashi-sama is waiting for you." The servant bowed and pointed him a shogi. She then dismissed herself when her work was done.

Sasuke's eyes trailed the Hyuga servant until she was out of sight. Questions kept occurring in his head. Even if he wanted to get the hell out of his place, he still had an urge to see Hyuga Hiashi, who wanted his presence out of the blue. Well, he did save his daughter in the middle of the forest. Maybe that was the reason why the noble man wanted to see him all of a sudden. The girl probably reported to her father that Sasuke saved her life once.

The raven-haired rookie slid open the shogi, and then there, his black eyes met the figure of the respected clan head. Giving respect to him before coming inside, he bowed first and then closed the door behind him as politely as he could.

"Take a seat." Hiashi said with his usual stern voice.

Sasuke did what he was told. He sat on the Zabuton opposite of Hiashi and came face to face with him. "I do not intend to be impolite, but, what business do you have with me?" he asked bravely.

Hiashi stared at the Uchiha's keen black eyes. Impressed by its sharpness and braveness. "I have heard from my daughter that you once saved her life in the woods." He began, "These days, the whole village has been busy with its renovating, and as the Hyuga Head, I couldn't find a suitable time to be able to talk to you."

Sasuke listened tentatively to him.

"I would like to thank you for protecting my daughter. Indeed, we owe you a lot."

"You do not need to thank me, sir. If that's what you only want to say, you shouldn't have bothered to look for me." Sasuke replied, "Pardon my speech but, I have to leave soon to continue my training."

"I do not blame you for showing a cold shoulder towards us Hyuga. I admit that our clans had never been involved with each other, we only consider ourselves as acquaintances despite being the two most powerful kekkei genkai in the fire country." Hiashi said, "You, Uchiha Sasuke, are the only survivor of the well-known Uchiha clan. You are also a prodigy, just like my nephew Neji. You have special skills and you are an intelligent shinobi. Someday, you would be a very strong ninja and you would be a wise clan head. I can see it in you."

Sasuke's eyebrow nearly rose. He let the elder man continue.

"The truth is… I have a very important discussion to settle with you."

* * *

"Hinata-sama, Haruka-sama wishes to speak with you." A servant said from the other side of the door of Hinata's bedroom.

Hinata quickly closed the book she was reading and responded in a heartbeat. "Okaa-sama?"

The servant opened the shogi for Haruka. Once she saw her daughter, she requested for the servant to leave by telling that she could take care of herself. The female servant obeyed and then excused herself.

"Mother. How are you feeling today? Are you sure you can walk around?" Hinata went to Haruka in anxiousness.

Haruka gently placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder in order to reassure the worried daughter. "I am fine, dear. In fact, I feel really strong today so I decided to walk around."

They sat down together. It has been a long time since they had done this. When Hinata was visiting her mother in her room, Haruka was always tired and very weak to even speak with her. There was not a day that Hinata didn't pray for her mother's health. She always brought flowers to her and told her to get well soon. But, her mother got weaker after the case involving the Kumo Ninjas during the Konoha Invasion. Indeed, Haruka nearly died because of stress and worry upon hearing that Hinata was missing that time.

The younger Hyuga was very hurt. Seeing her mother crying and suffering… she wanted to suffer in Haruka's place.

"I came to talk with you, my child… I apologize for not being able to stay at your side after all what have happened… I wanted to but, they wouldn't let me." Haruka said.

"Do not worry about that, mother. You need to look after your health first." Hinata said. "Your health is more important, so please, do not push yourself too hard."

Haruka's eyes tenderly stared at Hinata, "You are a very good child, Hinata. I am really blessed to have a daughter like you…"

Hinata smiled sincerely at her.

"Would you turn around for me? I want to do your hair…" Haruka said.

Hinata did what she was asked to and she felt her mother's soft hands slightly touching the side of her face as her hair was being fixed.

"You know, sometimes… I can't help but think if I became a good mother to you." Haruka said as she brushed Hinata's short dark blue hair with a comb. "Every parent in this world would be happy to have someone like you, Hinata. So I couldn't help but think… was I able to fulfill my responsibilities as your mother? What have I done… to deserve a daughter like you?"

"Please do not say that, okaa-sama. I could never ask for a better mother like you… Even if I was not qualified to be an heiress, okaa-sama still accepted me and cared for me. What if you were not my mother…? Would she still do what you have done to me? I understand that okaa-sama has a very ill body, but despite all that, you still did your best to be a good mother to me and Hanabi." Hinata said as she turned to look at her mother's eyes, "I would never ever regret having you as my mother, okaa-sama. So, please do not say that again… You would hurt me, father and Hanabi."

Tears began forming in Haruka's eyes. She reached out for Hinata's face and gently caressed it. "I love you dear… I love you. Do not forget that, all right? No matter what other people say, I, your mother… will never stop loving you. Someday, I know that you will attain eternal happiness for you are a very good daughter to me and Hiashi." She pulled the maiden into a warm hug.

Hinata hugged Haruka back, gladly accepting all the love she could feel from the woman who gave birth to her. "I could never ask for a better life… I am blessed with a very kind mother, a brave and strong father, a caring sister, an intelligent cousin and a noble family. I'm contented with having all of that… I was blessed to be able to belong in this family."

Tears freely slid Haruka's pale face. She didn't know that Hinata was very optimistic. After all the treatment she had gotten from the family members, she still didn't despise them. The Hyuga elders thought of her as a burden… the Branch family does not respect her… everyone gives her a cold shoulder. Everyone treated her like an outcast, of course, that gave a large scar in Haruka's heart.

_Why? What did this child do to carry such a burden on her shoulders? She was innocent… But, why did it have to be her?_

"I'm sorry for everything, Hinata… I'm sorry that you have to be like this. I'm sorry." Haruka's moans turned into sobs. "Your life should be better than this…"

Not only Hinata's freedom was taken away… but also something else that no one would ever want to be taken away from them.

It was just a moment ago when the Hyuga elders came to her room and informed her about Hinata's arrange marriage with the only survivor of the Uchiha clan. She protested. She fought for her daughter's freedom to chose whom she would want to marry, but in the end, she still lost. The elder's reasons were far wiser than of what she had. And the top reason why she gave in was Hinata would never be placed in the branch family if she married the Uchiha. Haruka could never handle it if Hinata were to placed down to the branch family… Her fate was cruel, and Haruka could never take the fate that lies ahead of Hinata if she'd be kicked out of the Main Family.

How would she be able to tell it to Hinata?

"Please, stop crying, mother. It is not good for your health…" Hinata said softly as tears also started forming in her pale eyes.

Haruka hugged her tighter but didn't obey her daughter. She couldn't stop her tears anymore… She was mad at herself… why wasn't she able to fight for her daughter? Why did she have to be so weak? Why wasn't she able to do anything?

The mother and daughter stayed like that for a moment until someone interrupted them.

Maeko asked permission to enter. Upon hearing the priestess, Hinata and Haruka broke the hug and dried their tears. They gave approval to her permit and she came inside, bowing to show respect to them. Haruka and Hinata bowed back.

"It is nice to see you, Maeko-san." Haruka greeted with a smile.

"Haruka-sama? It is a surprise to see you here. How is your health?" Maeko asked.

"I feel strong today, don't worry about me. I can manage." Haruka replied.

"I see. That is good to hear." Maeko said, "I apologize if I interrupted both of you, milady. But… I came to settle an important business with you. We shall meet Hiashi-sama at this moment."

Haruka nodded, "I understand, Maeko-san. Please, do give us time to prepare."

"Yes, milady."

Hinata gave Haruka a confused look, "Where will we go, okaa-sama?"

Haruka felt her heart clench. No… she couldn't possibly tell her yet… she was too young. But wise enough to understand everything.

"Oh, we will just talk with your father." Haruka replied with a shaky voice, "You will meet someone new this day… and I hope that… you will be able to understand everything, all right?"

"Yes, mother." Hinata smiled innocently.

It took twenty minutes or so when Haruka helped Hinata get prepared to meet this new person. Haruka made her wear a blue kimono with white feathers as its design, and a nadeshiko flower hair pin as her hair dress.

"You look lovely, my child." Haruka complimented.

"Thank you, mother." Hinata said with a faint blush. "But… who are we going to meet? Why did I have to get dressed?" she asked.

"Let's just go… you will be able to see him soon." Haruka said.

* * *

Hinata, Haruka and Maeko left the bedroom and walked the hallways. In a minute or two, they reached a room that they rarely used. Like they only they used that whenever they had special visitors or when the Hyuga elders come to visit them. The young girl couldn't help but wonder who the person was. Having the head priestess and her mother with her, the person must be someone who also belongs to a noble family.

A servant slid open a shogi for the three of them. Maeko, Haruka and Hinata bowed in unison before they entered the room. When the young Hyuga lifted her head up, her eyes quickly fell upon her father's companion. Pale orbs widened in a heartbeat. The man—the boy whom her mother and Maeko talked about, was the least she imagined to see with her father. He was no respectable elder of some clan or family, instead, he was a boy… same age as her or maybe a little bit older.

Uchiha Sasuke.

Sasuke stared back at her in an emotionless manner. Completely the opposite of her reaction.

Hinata was ordered to sit beside her father, and she did so. Haruka sat at the other side of Hiashi, and Maeko was beside Haruka. The heiress again looked at the Uchiha's sharp black eye, again, completely opposite of hers.

"Hinata."

The maiden inwardly squeaked when her name was dictated by her father. "_Hai, otou-sama_?" she replied politely.

"I asked for Uchiha Sasuke's presence for you informed that he was the one who saved you in the forest from your near death." Hiashi said, "We, the Hyuga clan, are in huge debt to you, Uchiha Sasuke."

When Hiashi bowed at the young Uchiha, Haruka and Maeko beckoned him. Hinata then followed.

"I-I wasn't able to properly thank you in that day, S-Sasuke-san… So… Thank you very much for saving me. If you weren't there… then I…" Hinata said.

"Do not bother about it." Sasuke cut her and tried his best to sound polite in front of the Hyuga's noble family. He couldn't help but stare at her longer and judge her by appearance. She looked delicate, calm, timid, kindhearted… definitely not suitable to be a fighter. A pure Yamato Nadeshiko. But what would a strong clan do with a weakling like her?

_They are definitely getting rid of her._

Sasuke thought. Somehow, he felt sorry for the girl. Still, she was a Hyuga even if she was weak. A strong kin runs in her veins. Just like him.

That's why the Hyuga thought of something like _that_.

Pretty clever.

But… he's not interested in having an heir with mixed blood of Hyuga and Uchiha. For so many reasons that Hiashi told him before the Hyuga daughter came, he knew from the start that the real reason why the Hyugas made a decision of having them betrothed; they wanted to make the useless girl useful to the clan and have a very strong heir.

A Hyuga blood and Uchiha blood flowing in one body… who could have ever thought how strong the child would become?

"Hinata, why don't you show Sasuke-san around the compound?" Haruka said.

"Oh… Y-Yes, mother." Hinata said.

How Sasuke wanted to get the hell out of the Hyuga Household.

Could he just refuse?

Unfortunately, no.

Hinata brought Sasuke to the library, the garden, training room, living room and lastly, to the Koi pond. It was awkward that their word were very limited. She would say "This is the …" and then he would reply a monosyllabic "Hn."

She felt a little uncomfortable with him compared to Naruto. Despite the fact that Sasuke was the first one who saved Hinata's life. She just couldn't treat him the way she treated Naruto.

Sensing a pattern from the previous tours she gave him, she decided to lead him away from the pond. She had a feeling that he was not enjoying the tour after all. Getting him back to her father would be best… she felt he wanted to get out of here too.

But as she was about to lead him away, he suddenly spoke much to her surprise.

"Can we stay here longer?" Sasuke said.

Hinata gave him a look of surprise.

Sasuke raised a brow. "What? You were touring me around, and I come to like this place out of those boring rooms you showed me."

"Oh… Y-Yes. I'm sorry. Please, feel free." Hinata said.

Sasuke couldn't believe this girl. Why did she have to be so naïve?

They both sat by the pond, staring at the active Kois under the clear water.

The Uchiha clan used to have this too… He and Itachi were the ones who had fun feeding it when they were young. He clenched his fists absentmindedly and gritted his teeth behind his lips.

There was no time to think of those memories with his brother. He promised long ago that he would forget all about them. Revenge… that's what he has to focus on.

Hinata couldn't help but notice the Uchiha's sudden intensity.

Right from the first time she had ever seen him, she could feel a very dark aura surrounding his heart. And his hatred… it was so powerful. And then there was the passion for revenge.

Sometimes, she couldn't help but wonder how she was able to feel someone else's heart?

"That person in your mind… is he the one whom you want to get your revenge?" She suddenly said with pure sincerity in her voice.

As usual, Sasuke glared at her emotionlessly. "How do you know about that?" he said sharply. They never knew each other and he had never seen her until that day in the forest. So… how could she just say that?

Hinata looked uncertain. She quickly avoided his gaze and started to think of an excuse. She couldn't possibly tell him that she could sense it in his heart. He might think that she's weird or… different.

But, she is.

"I… I've read about the Uchiha clan years ago. I was informed of the…"

_Massacre._

"So even a girl like you knows what Itachi did." Sasuke said.

Hinata stared down at her lap. "I'm sorry…"

Sasuke retrieved his gaze and looked up the orange sky. The sun was beginning to set and he lost track of time for how long he had been staying in the Hyuga household. Seriously, he was wasting too much time. He's supposed to be in training at this hour instead of sitting at the porch with some noble girl watching the koi fishes swim. Every minute of his life counted… every training was efficient. Every single day, he had to get stronger in order to kill that person.

But… he chose to stay in this freaking mansion. Yes, he had an option and Hiashi didn't fail in giving him that. He had many choices… but he still chose the most unexpected one.

"I… I heard my mother and father talking about the Uchiha clan when I was young." Hinata began, "They said that your clan's power is the same level of us… and hid many secrets. All those who belong to the Uchiha clan… were born to be great ninjas with no exception." She paused, "That's why it's no wonder why Sasuke-san is said to be the number one rookie… and a genius. M-my younger sister told that to me when she heard that you were the one who came to help me in that day."

Sasuke gave her a side glance, partly uninterested and interested in her ramblings. But, he just can't seem to ignore her. Especially when she's talking about his family.

"Does your family really owe me that much?" Sasuke suddenly asked.

"Eh?" Hinata said in a perplexed manner.

"True. I'm the only survivor of the Uchiha clan. I admit that I do better than those shinobi falling in the same rank as I am. But, what you and your family do not understand is the reason why I saved you." Sasuke looked at her directly in the eye, like a predator eying at its prey. "First of all, I have no intentions in saving your life from Gaara. I had no reasons to save someone like you. I noticed that you all think highly of me because I am skilled… and you all think that I have the heart to do something as heroic as that. But, I want to clear this once and for all." He paused, "Saving you is not included in my plans."

Hinata felt her heart nearly jumping out of her throat. Her eyes all wide as she stared back at his sharp black orbs. Indeed, he was a skilled shinobi… trained to be an assassin since a very young age. She didn't know how she would react towards him… would she be hurt by what he said? Would she understand him? Would she get angry?

Sasuke knew that he sounded very harsh towards the fragile maiden. But what could he do? He just can't change his self just because of _her_. And if that agreement would take action, she had to deal with him for the rest of her life whether he or she liked it or not.

So, he would not be surprised if he'd see the girl weeping in front of him after what he said. But, instead of seeing tear, he saw something that he least expected to see.

Hinata smiled.

"I understand, Sasuke-san." She said. "I'm sorry that my family had been bothering you… You see, my father sometimes doesn't listen to other people's explanation… so I apologize if we had been misunderstanding your reasons." She firmly looked back at him, "But… even if that was your reason, you still saved my life. For me, that meant a lot… after all that… there is no way that I can never be thankful towards you. Truthfully, if there is anything I can do… I will gladly do it in order to repay you."

_They already repaid me._

Sasuke thought to himself. "I don't need you or anyone to repay me. I'm fine," he said coldly, "But your family is too stubborn." He mumbled.

Hinata didn't quite catch his last phrase. But she did hear him ramble something under his breath.

Sasuke somewhat didn't feel irritated being with her. She was quiet, shy and calm. A total opposite of the girl he had on his team. Always clingy and flirty when he was around, oh, how he hated it. Especially when the fangirls would all combine and scream his name. He so wanted to slit their throats open. But, this was the very first time he felt a little comfortable with a girl. He always thought of them as a huge pain in the ass, well, Hinata was no exception to that, but she was a lesser pain in the ass though. At least she wasn't loud or clingy or fangirly-ish.

"U-Umm… is something wrong, Sasuke-san?" Hinata suddenly asked. Indeed, he was staring at her for some time and not moving.

Sasuke, upon getting back to his senses, just coolly averted his gaze. He ignored her and went back to watching the kois swim in the pond.

Hinata, upon realizing that he had no interests in entertaining her questions, just dropped the subject off. But… it couldn't immediately slip out her mind that he was staring at her and spacing out all of a sudden. Too... unexpected for an Uchiha.

The Uchiha didn't know what just happened. Yes, he admitted it, he was staring at her. But, why? How dare she? How dare she make him look at her that way? Was it only because that their fates were already decided? Or… something else?

No. A "something else" can't happen. She was just a poor Hyuga, a former heiress, an under-qualified shinobi. She couldn't do anything to make him look at her in that way. Never. He just agreed with Hiashi's proposal in order to restore the Uchiha clan. Not for something else.

In the end, it would be the Uchihas who'd gain the largest benefits out of that agreement. It wouldn't be the Hyuugas. He swore.

* * *

Konoha Streets.

Naruto was on his way to his favorite ramen place to grab some of his favorite Miso Pork Ramen. The day was kind of rough for him since he had to help the village to its restore; he worked to his hardest because he was really hyped up from morning. Errands here, rebuilding there… only a few more works and then the village would be again as good as new as if nothing had happened a week ago. He was just really glad that the Ramen shop was rebuilt way too fast and immediately got back on service.

"Ossan! One bowl of Miso Pork Ramen, please!" Naruto exclaimed as he entered the shop.

"Got it!" the old man enthusiastically replied as he saw his number one customer.

Naruto sat on his favorite stool and waited for his meal. Man, he was starving. After running around the village and doing this and that, his energy was at the verge of reaching its lowest point.

Some minutes passed by and the Miso Pork Ramen was finally laid on top of the counter.

"_Hai, Omacchi_!" the old man said.

Without wasting more time, Naruto's hand instinctively reached for the pile of wooden chopsticks on the higher counter, ripping them apart and slapping his hands together. _"Itadakimasu!"_ he then began slurping on his beloved ramen, not caring of anything else in the world.

Teuchi crossed his arms over his chest. "Quite hungrier here, aren't we?"

Naruto wasn't able to respond quickly as he continued eating his favorite meal. After some seconds, he took one last slurp on his bowl and extended it towards the old man, "One more, please!"

The old man just smiled, "Coming right up!"

.

.

.

.

.

At the end of the day, Naruto ended up finishing eleven bowls of Miso Pork Ramen. It was a good thing that the old man gave him a discount. If not, he would again scream that his "frog wallet's flat". The blond-haired shinobi patted his round stomach and heaved a satisfied sigh.

"That was really great, old man! Is it me or it's just getting better and better day by day, dattebayo?"

Teuchi chuckled, "Stop flattering me, boy. Next time, you won't get discounts anymore."

"Hey, I'm telling the truth!" Naruto fed back.

"All right, all right. Thanks for that, Kiddo." He said.

Naruto then stood up from the stool and waved goodbye at the old man. He went out of the shop, feeling incredibly recharged after the eleven bowls, and he will definitely be back soon to have his favorite ramen.

As he walked down the streets, he looked up the approaching night on the sky. With his arms behind head, he couldn't help but think of what Hinata was doing at this moment. Correction, he was thinking of her the whole day. She didn't slip his mind since he went off to see her this morning. To tell the truth, the real reason why he was such in a good mood today was entirely because of her. She filled him up and energized him to his highest point. So in everything he did today, most of it was for her. He knew how much Hinata loved the village and how much she wanted to walk in its streets freely again. He just couldn't help himself but do his best to rebuild the village when she thought of her.

"I wonder if she already ate… Maybe I could take her to have some ramen one day," he said to himself.

"Oooh. And who might she be?" a voice suddenly came from behind the ramen-lover that made him freak the hell out.

"E-ERO-SENNIN!"

With the loudness of the boy's voice, Jiraiya immediately smacked his yellow head for saying that out loud again, making other people look at them skeptically. This kid is so dead.

When Jiraiya was able to calm himself, he began to talk to Naruto properly.

"Have you seen Sasuke around?"

When Naruto was able to recover from the hit he got from his mentor, he couldn't help but also wonder. Now that he thought of it, he didn't see Sasuke the whole day. He then shrugged his shoulders to answer and Jiraiya just nodded.

"_Yeah, where is that teme?"_

Naruto thought.

* * *

Sasuke was forced to stay in for dinner at the Hyuga household. It has been a long time since he was able to have a formal meal on a table. It was a little awkward though to be joining the Hyuga family. Especially when Hyuga Hiashi was around. It was very intimidating.

And he thought that after staying in for dinner, he would be able to get out of the compound. But he was wrong. After dealing with the father, the maiden… he would now deal with the mother and a priestess. He was led in a quiet room, and he didn't know why he felt something different with Maeko's presence.

"I believe that my husband told you the purpose why you were abruptly called to our household." Haruka began.

Sasuke nodded.

"My husband already told me that you agreed in our clan's proposal." Haruka paused at that and then bowed, "I sincerely thank you for that, Uchiha Sasuke-san." Maeko beckoned her and that didn't help Sasuke to calm down a little bit.

"It is the elders who came up with the idea of having a Hyuga-Uchiha heir for the future generations. I am sure that Hiashi mentioned to you that Hinata is not qualified to be the heiress of the Hyuga clan anymore… in our tradition… a family member from the main family who's not supposed to be the heir will fall to the lower branch. The truth is…. You definitely saved my daughter's life from falling under the Branch Family. Arranging your marriage with her saved her from another cruel life…" Haruka said, "I cannot express how happy I am for you to finally arrive in our lives, Uchiha-san."

"_So that was it. The real reason why they agreed on this marriage was to save the former Hyuga heiress. They did have a motive to throw her out."_

Sasuke thought.

"Do not get us wrong, Uchiha-san." It was Maeko's turn to speak. "That is not the only reason why we agreed to arrange your marriage with Hinata-sama,"

Sasuke was quite surprised that the priestess read his mind. He kind of forgot that Priestesses were mysterious creatures. And come to think of it, Maeko was the head priestess of the fire country. But what was she doing here?

"I have seen your future, Uchiha Sasuke-sama. You have a very huge role in Hinata-sama's life… and Hinata-sama also has a huge role in your life. And no matter what, you have to fulfill those roles without fail." Maeko said.

Sasuke furrowed his brows, "What is that role?"

"You are in duty to protect her. Only you can save her from what I've seen." Maeko answered. "A cruel fate awaits her… but with you around, that would be prevented."

_Role. Fate. Duty. _

This was getting quite harder to understand even for a genius like him.

"I know you have lots of questions in your mind… but this is not the right time yet to tell it all to you. We shall wait… for you and she to get ready of what kind of path you will have in the future." The head priestess said.

"For now… I'm placing my daughter's safety in your hands, Uchiha-san. The Hyuga fmily… will forever be in your support." Haruka said.

Sasuke's questions were not answered in the end. The role, the duty, the fate… it was all troubling him. He just hoped he wouldn't regret any of these in the future.

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:**

"Where's the NaruHina you stupid authorrr?!" screamed by the angry mob.

*gulp* Oh no... *runs away but gets shot by a hitman*

N-No... I-I apologize if there's another SasuHina with this. But... I repeat... THIS IS A NARUHINA... AND I AM A NARUHINA FAN... *dies*

"NOOOO! You can't die! Not in front of me!" Neji rushes to the stupid author's side.

N-Neji-sama...

"You can't die... not like this. You still have to solve the problems in Physics! And solve the math problem in Calculus! Your project in Computer is still undone! And your activity in English is hanging! Your SCIENTIFIC CALCULATOR IS MISSING! YOU CAN'T DIE YET! Plus, you need to be alive for your readers!"

*resurrected* Oh no! PHYSIIIIIICS!

My dear readers, I hope I won't lose any of you. TT^TT I love you all!~ See you soon... I hope I'll come back alive. . . . . . .

**Vocabulary**

**Demo- but**

**Omacchi- here you go, thanks for waiting**


	8. Chapter 8: Two Protectors One Priestess

**a/n:  
**

****Thank you all so much for the reviews! Sorry for not being able to update last week... I got sick. TT^TT So.. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Two Protectors, One Priestess**

Two long weeks have passed by, indeed, Konoha was getting back in shape in no time. It was Naruto's third time to be visiting Hinata, of course, without anyone's knowledge. Apparently; the number one unexpected ninja found a real great path to sneak into the Hyuga household remaining unnoticed. He had to have mad skills at this in order not to die in Hiashi or Neji's hands.

He supplied the fair Hyuga maiden with jokes and pranks again. And he loved how she would smile and giggle at his stories. He couldn't also describe the happiness he felt when he told her that the village was improving day by day. The smile on her face couldn't be any better. He wished he could just see her every day…

"_Ne_, Hinata…" Naruto began.

Hinata devoted her full attention to him, "Hm?"

"Do you have any ideas of how hard it is to be a Hokage?" He suddenly asked out of the blue. "You see, the village is still mourning for the old man's death. It's true that I always play pranks on the old man, but… I really miss him now. Konoha is looking for a new Hokage in order to completely stand up… but would there be any person out there capable to fill the old man's work?"

It was quiet for a moment. Hinata knew that something was troubling Naruto, she was sensing a pattern by this time now. And then she began, "I-I was only able to meet Sandaime-sama one time when I was a child. After that time, I never got to see him again… even in his funeral. All that I have of a Hokage's work is out of a book. That a Hokage must be willing to sacrifice his own life to protect the village. He must love his village; the villagers; and prioritize it more than anything else." She said, "Like my father… since he's the leader of this clan, he is willing to do anything to protect its honor even if it means losing his own life. For me, being a clan head—or a Hokage requires a lot of sacrifices. We may look highly at them because they were strong, influential, honorable… but behind those achievements… I believe that they sacrificed everything they had. Family, relationship, love, and other things… It's just so hard to be in that position."

"A person like that… would he be existing somewhere in our world?" Naruto asked. "My mentor and I are assigned in a special mission. We are tasked to look for a certain person to replace the old man's position. But, will he or she deserve to receive the seat of the Hokage?"

"Naruto-kun… I know how important the position of the Hokage to you…" Hinata said, "Our village is a blessed village. God will not leave us on our own. Whoever you are assigned to look for, God has plans for your mission and the next Hokage of our village. S-so… if you ever had problems with our next Hokage, I know that you will be able to change him and make him a great Hokage." She smiled. "That may be the reason why you and your mentor are tasked to look for him or her."

Naruto felt the warmth instantly spread in his chest. Why was Hinata so good in making him feel better? It's as if his problems were not that huge when he would go and ask some advice from her. He made the right decision to approach her. He wished he could always go to her any time.

"You really are a great help, Hinata." He grinned at her. "You know, you're really smart! You know a lot of things and it's like you were not locked in this mansion the rest of your life. If you were a ninja, I bet you'll top the academy and become a chunin right now."

Hinata blushed slightly at his compliments. "Th-that's not true… I-I'm not that good… All I know are information stocked inside the books."

"There we go again. You like putting yourself down, huh? Whenever I praise you, you always deny it. Come on, you should try to acknowledge yourself more. Try to find out and accept the things that you're good about, that way, your father would start to wake the hell up." Naruto said. "He's a leader too. The old man—the third hokage… he was the leader of this village and he accepted me for who I am. Even if the villagers despised me, he still looked at the good sides I have and treated me as if I were his grandson. Hyuga Hiashi must also understand that."

"Naruto-kun… i-it's all right. Father has been changing his treatment to me ever since he met you…" Hinata said. Naruto had a good point there, but Hiashi was still her father. Even if he was treating her coldly and harshly before, she still couldn't find the urge to hate him and think badly of him. She knew that her father was a wise leader… everything he does is for the benefit and wellness of the clan. "B-By the way… you said you were tasked to go on a journey with your mentor to look for the next Hokage…" she thought of changing topics; she didn't like talking about the clan when inside the compound.

Naruto somewhat sensed that it was not appropriate anymore to talk any further of the fair girl's noble clan. He just dropped it off, too.

"Yeah. Well, Ero-sennin forced me to go with him. I had no choice but to agree because he said that he'll teach me a new technique and get me stronger." He answered.

"I see… how long will you b-be gone?" Hinata asked softly, but in the right volume to be heard by Naruto.

Naruto scratched the back of his head unsurely, "I'm not sure… but I think it will be a long trip. I'll be away for quite some time…"

All of a sudden, Hinata got a little sad upon hearing that. Her eyes automatically looked down her lap and the brightness on her face slightly faded. The thought of Naruto going on a long trip saddened her, but at the same time, made her happy because the village would soon have a new and rightful ruler. Still, he would be leaving and she couldn't help but get worried.

Naruto felt depressed when he told her that he would leave and not come back for quite some time. He didn't know when he would return; he didn't know how long they would not see each other. For sure, he will miss her.

"Hey, it won't be that long." He said as he placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "I promise you, I'll be back as soon as I can. You won't even notice the time and the next thing you know is… I'm back." He grinned.

Hinata lifted her face to meet his. Mesmerized by his beautiful blue eyes again.

"And when I get back, I'm stronger for sure." He then gave her a thumbs-up.

Hinata smiled shyly. "I-I believe in you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto then stood up from the porch and stretched his arms up. "I'll leave tomorrow morning, I should get back to get my stuff ready." He said.

Hinata also stood up, "U-Ummm… Naruto-kun… please, take care of yourself. I-I will be praying for your safe departure and safe return." She said.

Naruto smiled at her, "You don't need to worry about me. I'm strong, _dattebayo_! For sure when they see my summoning technique, they will get frightened." He said boastfully.

The maiden giggled at his proud declaration. She then bowed at him, "_Iterrashaimase._"

"Yeah, I'll be going now." Naruto then about-faced and went to the secret passage he has been using to get to Hinata. But, before he completely left, he seemed to have forgotten to do something. Without hesitations, he spun around and ran back to Hinata and in a blink of an eye, his arms were wrapped around the fragile maiden. He didn't know if what he did was right or wrong, but… he didn't want to leave and not return for a long time feeling regretful. He will surely miss Hinata's presence, smiles, soft giggles and voice… at least, he was able to give her a hug before he left.

The Hyuga daughter wasn't able to respond quickly at the unexpected contact. She felt her face heating up and it could be comparable to a fresh tomato. Her body tensed up at first, but later on, she felt comfortably secured in his arms.

After some seconds, they decided to break the contact. Both of them were blushing as they got separated. "B-bye now!" and then he went away, vanishing into thin air.

Hinata was left staring out at his direction until he disappeared, still having that obvious blush on her adorable face. Seconds later after Naruto's departure, a servant came to call for her.

"Hinata-sama, pardon me but Hiashi-sama is asking for your presence."

But there was no response from the girl.

"Hinata-sama?"

Still no response.

"Hinata-sama? Are you all right? Are you there?"

Hinata finally snapped out of her trance. "Y-Yes! I am h-here! What is it that you need?"

"Hiashi-sama has been asking for your presence for Uchiha Sasuke-sama came to see you." The servant said.

By the mention of the Uchiha's name, Hinata immediately straightened herself. "I-I understand. I will get ready, please tell father that I will be coming soon." She said.

"Certainly, milady." And then the servant walked away.

Hinata began to fix her hair dress and kimono before she walked out of her room. She made sure that her face was back to normal. She tried to look her best with her favorite yellow kimono; she was relieved that Naruto already left before the servant came to call her. If not, she wouldn't know what to do once they were discovered meeting discreetly.

* * *

The Hyuga maiden walked by the hallways and arrived at the guest room where her father and her visitor, Uchiha Sasuke, were waiting.

"A pleasant afternoon, Otou-sama, Uchiha Sasuke-san." She greeted politely before sitting down the Zabuton. Her father gave her a stern nod as the acknowledgement of her politeness, while Sasuke just looked at her neutrally.

Hinata was used by his greetings. She would even wonder what was wrong if Sasuke would give her a different respond from that. The truth is, she was getting used to his presence in the household. Ever since her father gave the Uchiha a formal expression of gratitude, Sasuke was more frequently invited to visit the Hyuga compound. He would stay in for dinner, spend some time in the library and be with her at the koi pond when he was free. She was growing to get fond of the mysterious guy.

"It is nice to see you again, Sasuke-san." She smiled.

Again, a cold stare from Sasuke.

"Since you are here, Hinata, I leave Uchiha Sasuke under your care." Hiashi said, "Entertain him and make sure he wouldn't leave until dinner." The stoic Hyuga leader said and went out of the room, "I will just be in the sparring room to train Hanabi."

"Yes, father. Have a wonderful time." Hinata bowed to her father's departure, and then they were left alone.

Sasuke sighed. He had no choice again, he was left with the stuttering little Hyuga.

The girl then faced him. "What brings you here today, Sasuke-san?" she asked, "I-I hope my family didn't force you to visit me again."

Sasuke looked back at her. The first three times two weeks ago were forced visits and he had no choice but to obey. But, he got used to it. Last week and this week's visits, he wasn't that hesitant anymore. He just hated to admit it that he got fond of the kind Hyuga daughter and… he liked to be with her. His visit today was even from his own will; no one came to fetch him and say that "Hiashi-sama asks for your presence.". He came here on his own.

But… he swore to the heavens that he wouldn't admit that to Hinata or anyone.

"Your father invited me again for supper." He said straightly.

"Oh, I see…" Hinata said softly, "Are you done with your training for today?"

"Hn." Sasuke made an upward movement of his head, reversing a nod.

And there was the expected silence between them.

Hinata's eyes went far staring at empty spaces and other objects, avoiding the raven-haired shinobi's gaze as much as possible.

While Sasuke's eyes were locked with the anxious figure in front of him.

With the deafening silence, Hinata couldn't stop herself of thinking about what happened between her and Naruto earlier. Even without his presence, she could still feel his arms wrapped around her… and his warmth… she could still feel him. No one else had done that to her. Even her father. He gave her another reason again to get her head occupied by him.

Sasuke continued observing her. She was odd today; weirder than before. Her cheeks were red when she came in, and getting redder as she sat there. But the weather was fine today; not hot and not cold. Well, as if he cared about what happened to her in this house He just didn't come here to see her, he also had other reasons why he took a visit.

"How are you different from the other Hyuga?" he asked all of a sudden.

The Uchiha then saw her shoulders slightly rise up. "They said you were under-qualified to be a ninja. Why?" he added.

The light in the Hyuga's pretty face disappeared when she heard him ask that question. She turned her hands into fists on her lap as she covered her eyes with her thick bangs.

"Answer me." Sasuke said coldly. There he was again, being harsh to the innocent maiden.

"I-I… was weak," Hinata began with a soft voice, "Even if I was born to be a Hyuga… I-I was never gifted to have Hyuga skills. I couldn't use the gentle fist… and could never wield the Byakugan."

Sasuke's brows furrowed, "You can't use the Byakugan?"

Hinata nodded weakly. "Maeko-sama and otou-sama found out that I couldn't use the Byakugan w-when I was five years old… Then, they all agreed to remove the title of the heiress on me and give it to my younger sister…"

"This Maeko… she is the head priestess of the Fire Country, right? Why is she associated with your family?" Sasuke added another question.

Hinata gulped nervously. "She was a close friend of our family… she was the one who served as the doctor when my mother gave birth to me. A-and… she became my teacher when father stopped training me."

_A priestess as a doctor in her birth?_

Sasuke thought. Something was definitely not right here. Now that she mentioned that Maeko became her teacher, he knew now the reason why she was able to heal him back in the forest that day during Gaara's incident. She possessed a skill of a priestess. But… based from his background knowledge about priestesses, in order to have an ability of a priestess or priest, his or her parents should be pure ones. It runs in their blood. But the Hyuga clan… how are they involved with Priests? They were not a clan who deals with spirits, religions and such… so how could Hinata obtain a priestess skill?

"What are you exactly?" He said.

"Eh?" Hinata was surprised by his question. When she lifted her head up, she met sharp onyx eyes.

"Tell me more. You are not an ordinary Hyuga, are you? You don't have the ability of a Hyuga… but you have the ability of a priestess. Isn't that odd?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, Sasuke-san." Hinata said in a shaky voice.

In a blink of an eye, Sasuke was near her. He grabbed her arms tightly, "I can't be wrong. That time when we first met, I was severely injured by Gaara. But you… in such a young age, you were able to heal my wounds and injuries in no time like a professional medical ninja. But you're not a ninja, and most of all, you are a Hyuga. So how could you have such a skill? I can't be wrong… you possess a skill of a Priestess." He said. "Tell me, what are you?" his tone hardened as his eyes narrowed.

Hinata began trembling. "I-I don't understand you… I-I am just a weak Hyuga… I-I was just under-qualified to be a ninja." She said, "W-Will you please stop asking me these questions… Sasuke-san?"

All of a sudden, Hinata's trembling gave a static shock on Sasuke's skin. His grip on her arms loosened as he felt the fear of the maiden. Her big pale eyes frighteningly stared back at his emotionless eyes. He could see tears slowly forming at her eyelids.

"I… I was also stuck with those questions my whole life… There were rumors in the compound th-that I was an unwanted child, that I was nearly aborted, that I was cursed… I didn't know what to believe. Father, mother or Maeko-sama… they wouldn't tell the truth to me." When she blinked for the moment, tears freely stroke down her smooth face. "I, myself, have no ideas of who I really am… nor know the answers to those questions. But, I chose to leave it all behind… for I didn't want to rebuild the destroyed walls between me and my family."

Sasuke was dumbfounded. He wanted to bang his head on a wall and stab himself with scads of shuriken and kunai. He abruptly felt the pain he was giving her and how hard it was for her to deal with what he was asking. Those eyes, they were so easy to read. Her emotions, they were always uncontrollable. And that fragile heart which he thought that was already shattered long ago… was still a whole. This maiden in front of him was categorized as weak… but he could see in her that she was not at all. To be able to get through that pain for all these years, she was incredibly strong to keep pushing on.

"I-I'm sorry… I-I can't answer any of your questions." Hinata said as she tried to stop herself from crying, but failing badly at it.

After all that, she was the one who ended up apologizing between them. Sasuke couldn't believe it. Just how selfless could she get? He was the one who forced her with those painful and harsh questions. If anyone's at fault here, it would be none other than him. The Uchiha.

She was selfless… kind… sweet… innocent.

Under that soft and angelic appearance, she was a silent fighter.

Yes, that was her. That was Hyuga Hinata; the girl whom he will protect with his life, the girl who would become his wife and the girl who would bring new hope to his clan.

'_A cruel fate awaits her… but with you around, that would be prevented.'_

Maeko's voice suddenly echoed in the Uchiha's mind.

Hinata began to wipe her tears with her sleeves. All of a sudden, she felt her body being pulled by a strong force. Before she knew it, she was locked in Sasuke's arms. Her eyes went wide and then she tried to get away from him.

But his hug was too tight. The more she tried to get away, the more he tightened the wrap.

"S-Sasuke-san… Why-Why are you—"

"You don't have to be scared anymore." Sasuke whispered. "I promise… I will protect you."

Hinata was frozen when she heard Sasuke mutter those words. And then a flash of memory came into her... The memory of a blond-ninja in the forest who also swore to protect her with his life.

_Naruto-kun. _She spoke his name in her mind.

She slowly closed her eyes and gently returned the embrace. But it was not Sasuke who she was seeing. Instead, it was the blond-haired ninja, Uzumaki Naruto. Tears continued flowing out of her eyes and before she knew it, she was sobbing. Sobbing in Naruto's arms.

Sasuke let her cry in his arms. He didn't know why but… he could feel that he does have a very special obligation with the Hyuga daughter.

She was the only one who was able to make him feel this way. He wanted to find out why…

* * *

The trees stood tall and unmovable in the ruins of the hidden village of moon. A man wearing a black cloak wandered around the abandoned place and arrived at a dilapidated temple in the deepest part of the forest. The mysterious figure effortlessly removed the seals on the entrance of the temple and got inside it without problems. Eyes toured around the dark place, ensuring that there were no traps before completely entering. Heavy footsteps then took place as the figure walked inside the temple, later on, the cloaked creature found what he was looking for.

"Just as I thought… it is still here." A low voice spoke.

Right in front of his hidden eyes laid a casket full of strong seals. "I've returned, my sister…" he spoke.

All of a sudden, when he touched the casket, a violet ray of light formed and emitted throughout the room. The seals glowed and was soon broken when couldn't handle the enormous power anymore. It left with the violet light and the atmosphere went back to normal. But a great barrier surrounded the ancient coffin.

"It is time for you to wake up soon, Masayo." Said the mysterious figure. "I've prepared everything just as we planned."

It was a peaceful day in the temple of the holy priestesses in the sacred forest of the Land of Fire. Priests, Priestesses and Monks were the only ones allowed in this place due to spiritual purposes. The sacred forest was built for them ever since the second shinobi war. Temples were built for priestesses, priests, and monks in order to keep them safe and where they could do their rituals such as praying, cleansing the souls of the dead and absorbing dark magic from the enemies.

Shinra was on her way back to the Priestess temple as she was finished with her exorcism today. It was tiring for her today since there were several souls she replenished in the cemetery of their sacred place.

"I need a break." Shinra told her escorts as she sat on a small rock near the river. "Just a few minutes, please?" she asked.

Her escorts nodded. "Take your time." one of them said.

And so, Shinra began to rest. All of a sudden, she felt a strange aura. She immediately rose from her spot and looked around her surroundings.

"W-What's this enormous power?" she gulped. She was sensing a continuous flow of energy that she couldn't explain. It was reviving… slowly getting stronger and stronger. This was the very first time she had sensed such a strong dark power. But she didn't know here it came from. Definitely not in the sacred forest… Monks and Priests did an unbreakable force field to prevent the actions of dark magic in this place. "Where did this come from?"

"Shinra-san? Is everything all right?" one of her escorts asked.

Shinra wasn't able to respond for a moment. She was trying to locate where the aura was coming from… she remained silent for a while and concentrated on her spiritual search. Her consciousness went off the sacred forest and flew across the land of fire, looking for the source of her discovered flow of energy. Her mind flew around, following the path where she could feel the energy stronger… and it took her a short moment before she completely felt the source of the power.

"_Over there!" _

Her consciousness was about to unfold the location of the aura when all of a sudden, a strong magic prevented her from knowing its coordinates. She tried to fight back, but the magic was far stronger than hers that she lasted less than a second. Darkness engulfed her spiritual search, she didn't even have the chance to see who was the doer of the prevention. In a blink of an eye, she was back in her body and was breating very hard.

"Shinra-san! Are you all right? What's happening to you?"

The young priestess found it hard to speak or move her body. Her body was still affected by the strong power… and when she was back to herself, she couldn't feel the strange aura anymore.

Shinra stood from the ground quickly and held on to her escort. "We must hurry… take me back to the temple at once!"

* * *

Dinner was over in the Hyuga compound. It was time for Sasuke to go. Hiashi, Hanabi, and Hinata saw him off, but before he went away, he bowed at the family. Haruka couldn't join them for dinner tonight for she was not feeling very well. The three Hyuga s bowed back, and then he looked at Hinata, who hadn't looked at him in the eye since afternoon. It was this afternoon when he had done something very unexpected. Even he, himself, couldn't understand why he suddenly engulfed the girl with his embrace. It was understandable why Hinata couldn't look at him.

He just let that go. Besides, she shouldn't be surprised anymore if he had done that. After all, their fates were already bound together. The only problem was… the maiden does not know who he was in her life yet. He planned to tell her this afternoon, but she ended up crying in his arms and he couldn't possibly bring that topic up all of a sudden. He knew he could leave it to her father.

"Do come back soon, Sasuke-nii-san." Hanabi waved goodbye at him.

Sasuke formed an unnoticeable smirk, and then he walked away from the compound.

The Hyuga leader and his daughters went back inside upon seeing Sasuke's departure. When they were inside the mansion again, Hinata decided to talk to her father in the dining room. She didn't mind Hanabi's presence, she could trust the little girl after all.

When they were seated in the dining room, Hinata finally began.

"F-father… I would just like to ask… Why is Sasuke-san visiting more frequently?"

Hiashi raised a brow, he was really surprised when his daughter finally had the guts to talk to him. Of course, he didn't show it to her for he didn't want to ruin the new bond they formed.

"Do you not appreciate his presence?" He asked.

"N-No. It's not that, father. I-I am really glad that Sasuke-san is allowed to visit me and I'm allowed to see him… I was just wondering if we could also invite Naruto-kun…"

Hiashi narrowed his eyes when he heard the boy's name.

"N-Naruto-kun also saved me from that time, father. So… just like Sasuke-san… c-can we also invite him for dinner? O-Our family still hasn't thanked him properly yet…" Hinata said as bravely as she could.

"Hinata. I forbade you to see that ninja, didn't I?" Hiashi said.

"B-but—he also saved me and I want to—"

"You are not allowed to meet him. You are not allowed to meet anybody else than Uchiha Sasuke." Hiashi said firmly. "Do you want to disobey my orders?"

Hinata stared directly at her father's eyes. "Why? Why is father forbidding me to see Naruto-kun? He also saved me during that time…" she tried her best not to sound weak in front of Hiashi. "Why can't I also see him? While Sasuke-san—"

"Uchiha Sasuke is much different from Uzumaki Naruto, Hinata." Hiashi cut her words quickly. He effectively made her fall to silence. "I guess it is time for you to know the truth… between you and Sasuke."

Hinata stared at him confusedly.

"The elders, the Main Family and the Branch Family all agreed with your arrange marriage with Uchiha Sasuke. You are to marry him in the future and give birth to a Hyuga-Uchiha heir." Hiashi said, "That is the reason why he is always visiting our family for he will be your husband. And that is why you are not allowed to meet Uzumaki Naruto or anyone else."

By hearing her father's words, it's as if the world has stopped spinning for her. Hiashi continued giving her explanations regarding the plan of having an Uchiha-Hyuga successor, but she was not able to comprehend them all. All she understood was… she was going to marry Uchiha Sasuke in the future. Her freedom to choose whom she wanted to love was also taken from her. Again, her freedom… her fate… and her life… it's as if she didn't have any of those any longer. It's as if she were born without those.

"Hinata-neechan…" Hanabi whispered to her when she realized that her sister looked very hurt.

"Do you understand what I am saying, Hinata?" Hiashi said.

But his daughter didn't reply. Sadness and stupefaction clearly expressed her emotions.

_I… I was already engaged? Without knowing…?_

Hinata thought to herself. She clenched her fists on her lap and averted her gaze from her father. As politely as she could, she stood up and bowed at her father. "Please… e-excuse me." She said in a shaky voice and turned away from her father and sister.

"Nee-chan? Wait-!" Hanabi was about to follow Hinata, but their father stopped her from following her elder sister. "Otou-sama?" she turned to look at him.

"It's best if we leave her alone, Hanabi. I will talk to her tomorrow again." Hiashi said.

Hanabi then looked down, sincerely worried about her elder sister. "I hope she'll be fine…" she whispered.

.

.

.

When Hinata reached the koi pond, she knelt down the wooden floor and held on to the pillar of the porch. She was feeling extremely bad. She felt as if knives were stabbing her throat and air poisoning her lungs. She had never felt in so much agony before. Compared to the sufferings she had in her childhood, this was the most painful of all. All of those didn't matter… and she was able to accept it because she knew that it was the best for her clan. But… this? Arranging her marriage with the Uchiha was also for the well-being of her clan.

But… why was it so hard to accept? Why does it kill her indirectly?

It was so painful. She could take it no more. Tears again formed from her pale eyes, and she was crying hard. She wanted to let it all out for she knew that she couldn't do anything else to take her father's words back. She couldn't do anything to change her fate… even if Naruto said that _nobody controls our destiny. It's us who make our own destiny. _She wanted to believe that… But she knew… she never owned her fate in the very first place.

Freedom, love, fate, happiness… they were all not in her hands. She was a caged bird and she accepted it long ago that somebody else controls her life.

It was all for her clan. She would not regret suffering just for her family…

But all her life, living under her father's orders and behind her clan's walls, meeting Naruto was the greatest happiness that had ever occurred in her life. He became her friend, he gave comfort to her, he swore to protect her with his life… He was the one who gave light to her life. But… that would also be taken away from her. She was given a slight taste of happiness, even for a short time, she was able to experience it. Now, fate had been cruel to her again.

Thinking that she wouldn't be able to see and talk to Naruto again, it pained her so much. But, what could she do? All has been decided for her… maybe, it was the Gods who made the move this time.

Maybe she was immediately prevented for feeling this way towards Naruto.

For she knew… she already fell for him.

"Hinata-sama…" Neji suddenly approached her. But Hinata didn't look up. She continued crying as if caring for nothing else in the world.

Neji felt very bad. He felt pity towards his cousin… and he felt very mad at himself for not being able to do anything for her. She was crying… he hated hearing her sobs… he hated seeing her suffer. Still, he couldn't do anything. Because what was he? He was just from the Branch Family, he was powerless against the Main Family. "I'm sorry, Hinata-sama…" he whispered to her as he knelt down and placed a gentle hand on her shaky back.

All he could do was watch her weep.

Hinata's sobs were uncontrollable. Again, he could do nothing to ease her pain.

Hinata felt the heaviness in her chest lift a little when she felt her cousin's presence. She was glad that someone was willing to accompany her… she was glad that Neji was there to be with her because she really needed someone right now.

_Naruto-kun… maybe… we are not meant for each other._

The maiden thought as she wept harder. It was so painful… Painful above anything else she had gone through.

Her clan… even if this would bring great pain to her life again, she would accept it all.

Just for her clan. She repeated it over and over in her mind; she would be doing this for her clan's sake.

For now, she let all the tears flow out of her eyes. Thinking that the sadness and agony would be gone if she did…

But she knew, it would be very hard.

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:**

****Is it just me or... am I too cruel to Hinata...? Anyways, I have decided on an OST for this chapter. xD It's "Infection" by Onitsuka Chihiro. I didn't know why but when I started playing it on the part where Hinata was told that the teme was her fiance towards the end of the chap, tears were threatening to fall from my eyes.

Please, r&r again! :) stay with me until the end. Thank youuuuu!~

**Vocabulary-**

**Iterrashaimase- please have a safe trip**


	9. Chapter 9: Rise and Fall

**a/n:  
**

****I thank you all again for the reviews! waaaaah! Honto ni arigato gozaimasu! *bows*

For those who are asking about the Shippuuden time-skip... yes. My story has a time-skip. ^^ But, as I usually do in my fics, I make them older than the shippuuden. Like, They're just 14-16 years old in the manga and anime, I would skip in those years and make them 18-20 years old. :) Well, I'll just explain in the later chapters. hahaha.

Enjoy the chapter! :)

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Rise and Fall**

"I've seen it, Maeko-sama! I am not mistaken! I felt it without any doubt!" Shinra said as she slapped her hand on top of her master's desk. "Something bad will soon arise… something powerful and devastating."

Maeko looked at her student, "Calm down, Shinra. Explain it to me carefully."

Shinra frowned at the older lady, "You mean you didn't feel anything earlier? You weren't able to feel that enormous aura?"

"Anyone in the temple didn't feel anything, Shinra. The monks and the priests didn't feel anything odd." Maeko answered, "The flow of energy in the horizon was normal, there were no interferences. Just the usual."

Shinra shook her head and stood up, "But I am certain, master! I felt a strange aura… When I was making my spiritual search, I was able to find its source. But I was not able to familiarize myself with the place because someone came to disrupt my search. Isn't that odd? After that… I was not able to feel the aura again even if I tried to search for it once more." She explained, "That aura… it was very extraordinary. I've never felt something like that in my life. It was so… frightening."

Another priestess then came and rudely interrupted their conversation, "Do not listen to her, head priestess. That girl is telling nothing but lies. I was on top of the temple purifying the energy of the environment all day long and I wasn't able to feel anything odd."

Shinra glared at the priestess, "I am not talking to you, Rika. Don't interrupt us."

Rika glared back, "Why? Are you afraid that master would find out that you're just lying? You better stop being so full of yourself, Shinra. You're not that powerful. You just want master to acknowledge you so you won't be going to the cemetery to purify those wandering souls anymore."

"What are you talking about? I am telling the truth! And I'm not thinking of that. Watch what you're saying, Rika." Shinra fed back to her fellow priestess. Rika was also a student of Maeko, she was just a year older than Shinra is. They hated each other so much.

"Well, I'm just pointing out the truth. You're fooling our master." Rika said.

"Stop that, both of you." Maeko scolded and that effectively silenced her students. She turned back to Shinra, "I shall see for myself what you are saying, Shinra. I will conduct a search regarding of this strange aura you felt… and I will also consult the head monk."

"I will help, master." Shinra said, enlightened upon hearing Maeko's decision.

"Let us go."

And then both of them left the room, leaving Rika all alone.

"That Shinra… I will definitely bring her down one day." Rika muttered to herself as her eyes trailed her master and fellow student.

* * *

Hinata was silently reading in the library of the Hyuga compound. She wore a purple kimono with an orange obi and her favorite hair ornament of an Azalea flower. Several scrolls and books lay down on top of her _Zataku_, some finished and others undone. She was reading again one of the books she loved, it was the story of Kaguya Hime.

She has been locked up in the library since morning. Ever since the day her father told her that she was engaged to Sasuke, she spent most of her days in the library reading books to keep herself busy as much as possible. Pressing flowers wasn't enough to keep her entertained, eventually, her thoughts would definitely drift off to _him _again. Reading was not helping that much at all… because even after a week, there wasn't a day that she didn't think of Uzumaki Naruto.

He wasn't back yet. She had not heard of him since he set out for his mission in looking for the next Hokage of the village. That was the day when he hugged her… and until now, she could never forget how it felt like even if it was just a brief moment.

Hinata closed her eyes and shut the book she was reading. She shook her head in disheartenment. Definitely, reading didn't help her at all. No matter what she did, she couldn't get herself to stop thinking about Naruto.

_No. Stop it… I'm already engaged._

She said to herself. She went through this over and over again because of her near wedding with the Uchiha. Last week, they met with the elders and were informed about the date of the wedding. It would be on the second full moon of the month; a blue moon. It was too soon… but they said that the sooner, the better. In that day, Hinata tried her best not to cry in front of her relatives and future husband. Even if it was killing her in the inside. It was not that she hated Sasuke or disliked him… She believed that marriage is a powerful commitment. It is not done that simply… Unconditional love is the most important element of marriage; couples should love and accept their partner for who they are. But in her case, she and Sasuke didn't have that kind of connection. She didn't love him… but she also didn't despise him. She liked him naturally, but not in a way that she would think or dream of marrying him someday.

She considered him as a special friend; no more, no less.

When it comes with Naruto… it was different. Totally different from what she was feeling towards Sasuke. She knew… she was in love with him since the first time they met each other. In the arena where she saw him fight her cousin, starting from that moment, she felt something very special towards him. He was the one who gave light to her life… he gave her courage, made her accept herself more, bring new hopes to her life, deliver joy and laughter... she had never been so happy before until meeting him.

But, just as she said… all of those were gone. She had to accept that… they were not meant for each other.

"Nee-chan! Nee-chan!"

Hinata was interrupted with her thoughts when she heard her sister's voice. Shortly after, the shogi was opened to reveal a distressed Hanabi.

"Hanabi-chan? What is wrong?" Hinata asked worriedly.

Hanabi ran across the library and pulled Hinata. "Something bad happened, we should hurry!"

"Why? What do you mean?" She said as she tried to keep up with the younger Hyuga.

"Sasuke-san's life is in danger!"

* * *

_The sky was bloody red in the horizon due to the light that the red moon was giving off. Crows flew around and continued to multiply an image of a man with deadly sharp eyes. Eyes activated with sharingan looked directly into the younger Uchiha survivor's worn out black orbs. Nothing but coldness filled the glare of an older brother to his younger brother._

"_You are making a huge mistake, Sasuke." Uchiha Itachi began with a low voice as he released his younger brother from the wooden cross. _

_Sasuke stood unsteadily as his feet hit the ground. His body was definitely burning internally and his knees wobbled that made the gravity pull him down effortlessly. He was shaking badly, sweating uncontrollably and breathing hard. With all his might, he looked up to his brother's face and spoke._

"_What…?"_

_Itachi looked down on him emotionlessly. Sasuke looked very pathetic and weak. He stood no chance against the akatsuki member. _

"_**She **will never be yours no matter what you do. You will never own **her**." Itachi said._

_After hearing Itachi's words, Sasuke's strength slightly returned to his body. He knew who was his brother was talking about… he knew that it's **her**._

"_What are you saying?!" Sasuke managed to shout. _

"_That girl… she belongs to somebody else. Even if you spend a lifetime waiting… you will never own her."_

_Itachi's words sent clenches to Sasuke's chest. His worn out eyes dangerously glared back at him. _

"_Why? What do you know?"_

"_I'm telling you. Stop what you are planning to her and her clan. In the end… you'll regret everything." _

_Sasuke gritted his teeth. He stood up sloppily and bravely walked near Itachi._

"_I won't let you ruin my plans. I will KILL you no matter what happens. I will restore the Uchiha clan with her help… and I won't ever let you take her away from me." He threatened._

_Itachi remained calm and undeterred. "Hate me for all you want, Sasuke. Execute your plans… kill me… avenge mother and father… revive the clan. Fight me when you're strong enough, I will wait. But, I will definitely not let you have Hyuga Hinata."_

_Sasuke's blood boiled. He grabbed Itachi by the front shirt. "What do you need from her?!" in the instant when Sasuke got a hold of him, Itachi suddenly scattered into crows and easily got away from him. _

_After that, Itachi spoke no more. He again brought back the wooden cross and got Sasuke attached to it. _

"_Answer me, Itachi! How do you know her?! What do you need from her?!" _

_Itachi kept his mouth shut. He just continued with his genjutsu and kept Sasuke trapped in the Tsukuyomi. _

_The younger Uchiha could do nothing but scream in agony. The clones of Itachi kept on multiplying and each of them thrusting their katana through his body._

_The nightmare went on and on. Sasuke's sight was getting blurry and he felt as if he couldn't hold on any longer. The stabs in his body were too many and his blood was all over the floor under the feet of Itachi. The blood-red moon maintained his pain coming… but all of a sudden, red rays were replaced by calm white light. _

_Sasuke looked up upon seeing the brightness. The sky left not a trace of blood and then Itachi disappeared into crows when interacting with the light. _

_All the pain that Sasuke received was all gone. Then all he could see was a figure descending from the heavens reaching out for him and after all that… the light conquered everything._

* * *

Sasuke felt lighter and he was not in the genjutsu that his brother casted on him anymore. He could feel his own body and he fortunately had not lost his sanity. He knew that someone came to help him get out of that nightmare… that white light that eased his sorrow and that shadow figure who reached out for him. He felt a warm touch on his hand and he slowly opened his eyes to see who owned the warmth.

Again, black eyes met white ones.

"Hyuga… Hinata…" he said in a weak voice.

Hinata exhaustedly smiled down at him. "I'm glad you're awake… Sasuke-san…" she then slowly loosened her grasp on his hand and helplessly passed out.

Sasuke immediately gathered his strength to support her. "_Oi!_ What happened to you?!"

"Nee-chan!" Hanabi then came to help the Uchiha with the unconscious Hinata. "Mou, Nee-chan… I told you not to push yourself too hard!"

Sasuke gave Hanabi a look. "Why is she here?" he asked.

"When I told her that you were in danger, she begged father to let her see you in this hospital. Because… she already knows that you are her fiancé." Hanabi said. "And when she saw you on this bed, she said that you were under an illusion and she tried to heal you…"

"She was the one who got me out of the genjutsu…" Sasuke muttered. He stared at Hinata again and saw the paleness of her face. A girl like her to be able to uncast the genjutsu of his brother… how was she able to do that when they said that it was only Princess Tsunade who was capable to cure this. Indeed, this Hyuga daughter is full of surprises. Moreover, even Itachi knew her.

"_That girl… she belongs to somebody else. Even if you spend a lifetime waiting… you will never own her."_

The desire of killing Itachi grew inside of Sasuke stronger. That man killed their own family… their own mother, their own father and their entire clan. Now, he wouldn't let him take away his only hope to be able to revive his clan and make their kekkei genkai more powerful. He will not let anybody else take her away from him.

No matter what happens, he will do anything to own her.

The quarter moon shone brightly at the cloudless sky when the sun went down for the night to arrive. The breeze in the forest was much colder than of the town and the woods were… well, somewhat damaged in an odd way. Spirals were carved on tree trunks, and other uneven patterns of damages partly destroyed the trees. In the middle of the night, the culprit for this mess was lying on the grassy ground and staring up the starry sky.

The blond-haired ninja, Uzumaki Naruto, was breathing in and out desperately as he lied on the ground.. He has been training all day long and didn't take a break even once. He was extremely tired and… accompany his exhaustion with worries. All day long with his training of his new jutsu Rasengan, he felt uneasy with the bet he made with the next Hokage of the village with the name of Tsunade. He was challenged by the old—young busty lady and made him bet that he could master the rasengan in only three days. Plus, he wasn't convinced for her to be the next leader of the village. And then there were these two black-cloaked ninjas who sabotaged him a day ago and defeated Sasuke without breaking a sweat. He couldn't help but think of how Sasuke was doing after taking that kind of defeat. Lastly, the one who occupied his mind most was the Hyuga girl he left in the village. The whole day… she didn't slip his mind.

It has been a long time since they last saw each other. And there was not a day that he didn't hope that she was safe. There was not a day that he didn't think of her. And there was not a day that he didn't want to see her again.

His blue eyes locked with the shiny quarter moon. He smiled to himself… he didn't know why but when he looks at the moon, the first person he could think of was Hinata. He wondered if there were times that she also thought of him, too. And then he all of a sudden remembered the last time he saw her. He gave her a hug. When Neji finds out about that, he knew he'd be sorry. But, who cares? It already happened… and he couldn't help himself that time.

He softly chuckled and brought his worn out hand up as if to reach the moon. He closed his hand into a fist and smiled.

"I'll definitely get stronger and I won't lose to that old hag." He said.

He energetically stood up from the ground and began charging his chakra on his palm again. This time, much motivated than before. He will definitely win this bet. He will get stronger when he returns. He would keep on doing his best in order to return to the village and to see her face again.

* * *

In the sacred woods of the Monks and the Priestesses , Maeko was alone in the meditating room of the Spiritual temple. She's been spending several days in this room since Shinra told her about the strange energy she felt. Maeko didn't want to believe her student at first, but after doing some spiritual searches, she was able to feel a very weak aura. It was not the aura that was weak, it was just her spiritual sense that could not pass through a hidden barrier that was protecting the main source of the flow of the energy. Shinra was correct… it was not an ordinary energy. But she could still not decipher what kind of aura that was because of a strong protective barrier.

Maeko concentrated more to think of how to destroy the other aura that was protecting the energy. She mouthed several priestess spells and somehow after several moments, she was able to pass through the barrier. She was not able to destroy it, but she got passed through it.

And then her eyes went wide when she was able to completely feel the aura that Shinra sensed. Rapidly, it was flowing towards a certain area in an abandoned place. It was getting stronger and stronger… She could also feel that the energy was also using the help of the moonlight…

Maeko knew this process… she knew who owns this flow of energy.

A resurrection technique.

_The Kurogami clan._

"_No… This cannot be… H-How is this possible?"_

She could now entirely savor the owner of this energy. Fear quickly shot through her veins as she was able to see directly the energy going inside the body of a shaman inside a casket. Without catching her breath, she muttered its name.

"_Ma… Masayo…"_

"_Oh, what do we have here? Trespassing, aren't you… Maeko?"_

Maeko quickly turned to look for the owner of the voice, but she saw no one.

"_Who's there!?"_

"_Don't tell me you already forgot about me… how come you can only remember Masayo?" _The mysterious voice continued. _"I'm impressed that you were able to get through my barrier… but I am more impressed with the young girl who was able to sense my sister's flow of energy quickly. I believe that she was the one who told you about this, wrong? She was the only one who was able to sense our ritual."_

Maeko gulped, "Ritual…? Then you are—no… that is impossible. You're dead… You died during the war!"

The voice chuckled. "_That's what you thought. But I am all alive. And my sister would soon be, too. So I cannot afford you to destroy our plans again." He said. "It would be your end soon, Maeko. You will regret everything… for not joining forces with the Kurogami clan."_

"_I will not let you accomplish your plans." _Maeko said.

"_Is that so? Well, then let's see… if you're still strong enough to oppose my powers. I will not stop you on looking for us, but I do know that you already have an idea of where we are. I shall wait for your arrival… but let me warn you, Head Priestess. Fighting us means… suicide." _

"_Why don't you show yourself and fight me now, Domon!" _Maeko bravely shouted.

"_No. No. I cannot do that. I can't afford to disturb the resurrection of my sister yet." _He said. "_Now, if I may ask you to get out of here."_

"_I will not, you fool."_

"_Oh, right. What am I saying? Of course, I will force you out of here." _He said. "_You are no match for me here… it is only your mind who is present, you cannot fight me at all."_

"_Now, you feel mercy towards your enemies, Domon? How unlike you…"_

"_Don't get me wrong, please. If my sister's resurrection would only not be disrupted when I use my powers, I could kill you in even a second. Next time I see you… I won't be merciful."_

And then there was a strong energy that swept her away and back to her own body. Maeko held onto the floor when she was forcibly threw out of her spiritual search. She was breathing and sweating hard. She could feel herself getting weak and dizzy. Before the dizziness could completely cloud her head, she called out for her two students who quickly came.

"Rika… look for the head monk. Tell him that I need to see him this instance." Maeko said. "Tell him that I found the source of the energy. Hurry!"

Rika nodded and took off at once.

Shinra immediately came to support her master upon noticing her exhaustion. "Master, what kind of energy was it?"

"It was the Shamans… they are going to revive the head shaman." Maeko said.

"Shamans? I thought that their powers are all sealed after the war." Shinra said, "How could they possibly—"

"I am also confused myself… and this definitely has got to stop. Masayo is being revived… this will be chaotic if the Shaman clan would be revived once again. I will do anything to stop them." Maeko said.

"I will help you no matter what, Maeko-sama." Shinra said.

Maeko looked at her, "You are a young and talented priestess, Shinra. I know from the start that I can trust you with my whole heart. If I fail to stop Masayo and her companions… I entrust Hinata-sama's safety to you."

Shinra frowned, "What do you mean, Maeko-sama? Please, don't tell me that you plan to go alone to find Masayo."

Maeko closed her eyes and heaved an exhausted sigh, "I cannot let you, Rika or anybody get involved with my combat with Domon and Masayo. Worry not, the shamans will not be able to pass through the sacred forest. All of you are safe here along with the monks."

"No! I will not let you go there alone, Maeko-sama! Rika and I will accompany you. We will defeat them and protect Hinata-sama… you do not have to sacrifice your life—"

"Can you not understand, Shinra? I ought to do this. Domon is not an ordinary shaman, as well as Masayo. I have to go there alone… and once something goes wrong, be alert. I will deliver a telekinesis to you and the head monk. I will tell you everything that I planned if I will not be able to execute it myself. The only thing I'm sure is… once Masayo is back to life, she will definitely go after Hinata-sama first. I need you to stay and guard Hinata-sama if ever the shamans reach Konoha." Maeko explained. "Even if I die... I won't let my plans fail. We will protect Hinata-sama."

"Master…" Shinra looked down. She knew that she was still not strong enough to fight alongside with Maeko.

"We will discuss everything when the Head Monk arrives."

* * *

Days quickly passed by as Maeko set out on a journey for Domon and Masayo. Her only companies were two Ninja escorts. She settled everything with the Head Monk and her two students back then, she confirmed it herself that when she clashes with Domon and Masayo, there will be a very low chance that she would come back alive. If ever that happens, she was sure that her allies could execute her plans correctly.

She could only just hope for the best.

"God, please help us."

* * *

Now, that Konoha redeemed itself with its new Hokage, Naruto could somehow finally breathe normally. It was just four days ago when he returned with Jiraiya, Shizune and of course, the fifth Hokage, Tsunade. When he returned, the first one he wanted to see was Hinata… but unfortunately, he wasn't able to see her yet because he had to stay in the hospital to recover his injuries from the fight he had with Orochimaru and Kabuto.

He could say to himself that he definitely grew stronger after all he's been through with his training. He was able to defeat Kabuto and he was able to win the bet he had with Tsunade. In just three days, he mastered the Rasengan. With a clone, though. But nevertheless, he still won the bet. He surely made a progression with his abilities… and he couldn't wait to prove it to Sasuke soon.

Now that the doctors from the hospital allowed him to finally go out, he wasted no time in getting the hell out of the boring place. He could have gotten out days ago if it weren't for the very strict new Hokage who asked the nurses to keep a very close eye on his every move. He feeling better already a couple of days ago… he said he didn't need to be confined in the hospital for more days, but the Hokage was as hard-headed as he is. But, there was no use on arguing about that in his mind anymore. What's done is done. The important thing is… he's now out of the hospital and he can finally visit Hinata again.

Naruto was walking down the streets with his hands behind his head. He was excited to see her again and he couldn't wait to tell her about his journey with Jiraiya. It has been a very long time since they last saw each other… he could really say that he missed her. After some minutes, he was at his secret entrance to the Hyuga household. He climbed the walls, crawled under bushes, hid behind trees and finally… got to the Koi pond where he and Hinata usually meet. And just as he thought, she was sitting there, reading another book.

He saw Hinata in a plain purple kimono and pink obi. She looked simple, cute, elegant and… beautiful. He waited for a long time to be able to see her again, and finally, she was right in front of his eyes again. But there was something different with her today compared to the last times he saw her.

Naruto frowned at this.

Hinata looked sad.

The usual brightness of her face was not present.

"Hinata." He spoke and he was not surprised to see her get distracted from what she was doing. He saw her flinch from her spot and let out a soft squeak. She immediately closed her book, and when she lifted her head up, she came eye-to-eye with the person she was longing to see most.

"Naruto-kun…" she said with wide eyes.

How he missed hearing her sweet voice call out his name.

* * *

Hinata couldn't believe her eyes. She was just thinking about Naruto a while ago and was desperately trying to get him out of her mind… but things were made worse. Now, how will she be able to forget about him when he's already in front of her very eyes.

"Naruto-kun…" she said.

Naruto flashed her a huge grin, "Hey there, dattebayo!"

Hinata slowly stood up from the porch and placed the book on her lap away. "Is it really… y-you?"

"What kind of question is that, Hinata? Of course, it's the one and only Uzumaki Naruto." He said. "Just as I promised last time, I came back safely. Just as I promised, I will be back to see you again."

Hinata was about to go to him, but all of a sudden, a hidden force commanded her not to. She remembered… her father forbade her to see anyone else especially Naruto. Their secret meeting… this just can't continue any longer for both of them would be in trouble. Hinata didn't mind getting in trouble with her father; she was more worried of what they would do to Naruto when the figure this out.

Naruto immediately noticed Hinata's anxiety. "Hinata, what's wrong? Is everything all right?" he asked. "Did your father act harshly towards you again? Were the other clan members cruel to you again? Tell me. I'll go and teach them a lesson!"

"N-No, Naruto-kun… it's not that." Hinata said. _It's not that… it's worse than that._ She thought to herself, but she knew she couldn't say that to him.

"Then what is it? And why do you look so pale? Were you sick? Just what happened to you while I was away?" Naruto threw her tons of questions at once, and he was definitely worried about her.

Hinata shook her head.

"Then… are you not happy to see me again?" He asked.

That made her look up to him and made her denial greater. "No, of course not, Naruto-kun! H-How could you say that?"

"Because you look very sad just now. You were not the cheerful Hinata that I lik—" Oh no, he nearly slipped there. "Th-That I know!" he rephrased.

Hinata turned her face away from him. Was she that obvious that even Naruto noticed it?

"Come on, Hinata… tell it to me. If you continue hiding it, you will make me feel very bad." Naruto said. He inched closer to her and gently held her arms. "Look at me, Hinata… I don't want seeing you like this."

Hinata blushed when she felt him touch her. No, she must not feel happy that they saw each other again. She must not be happy that he came back to meet her in secret again… she must not be happy that… the person she loved was right in front of her very eyes again. The more she'd interact with him, the more she would be a disgrace to her family. First of all, her father forbade her to see him. And more importantly, she was already engaged and her wedding would be very soon. She can't continue doing this. She can't continue loving him.

With hesitations in her heart, Hinata disentangled herself from the boy's grasp. "Please, leave…" she said with all the sadness in her voice.

"What?" Naruto frowned confusingly.

Hinata brought her hands and curled them on her chest as if to conceal her emotions. "I-I'm sorry… but we must stop meeting."

"Why? Did Neji find out? Did your father discover?" Naruto's anxiety grew larger. He was now seriously nervous of what had happened to her when he was away.

Hinata shook her head.

"Then why? Are you still afraid that your father might get mad at you when he discovers that you're still seeing me without his permission? I told that don't worry. I will take full responsibility so you don't have to be afraid." Naruto said.

"I-I do not know what my father would do to you, Naruto-kun." She then finally had the courage to look at his eyes. "I am scared… of what may happen to you when the other clan members find out."

"Hey, we're doing this for quite some time now. And they haven't discovered us. If we continue to be careful, then there would be no problems, right? Or I can just talk to your father. I will tell him that I just want to be your friend and I have no bad intentions." Naruto said.

Hinata shook her head again. "He forbade me to see anybody else… especially you. I'm sorry, Naruto-kun… I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to disobey my father's orders anymore." She bit her lower lip and turned her back on him. "Please… leave now. I-I don't want trouble anymore."

"No." Naruto shook his head. "You're hiding something from me, Hinata. Tell me the real reason why you're doing this!"

"That is the truth." Hinata replied straightly. "I don't want to disobey my father anymore… I'm tired of lying to him. So, I beg of you… do not ever come again."

"No. I'm not going to leave you. I will talk to your father about this, dattebayo." Naruto said.

"Please… Don't make this harder for the both of us, Naruto-kun. Just… leave." Hinata said.

Naruto could feel the pain in Hinata's voice. He knew that she was hiding a deep secret from him. It was true that Hiashi forbade them to see each other… but he could sense that that was not the only reason why she kept telling him to leave.

"Fine, I'll leave." Naruto said.

With this, the pain in Hinata's chest grew greater. She forced herself not to break down in his presence.

"But… I don't easily give up on my friends." He said and then re-entered the secret passage to get out of the Hyuga compound.

When Hinata could no longer feel Naruto's presence, she all of a sudden lost the strength of her knees and freely fell down the ground with tears uncontrollably streaming down her cheeks. She placed one hand on her mouth as if to control her emotions, but it was useless. All the nights she spent crying gave no help to dry the tears in her eyes. She thought that she shed enough tears for him… but apparently not.

She never thought that it would be much more painful. Especially when he looked very sad upon hearing those words from her. And what she found hardest to handle was the fact that she had to hide the real reason why she wanted to stop seeing him.

Just how could she tell him that she's already engaged? Naruto may not return the feelings she had… but it was still hard for her to tell him because it was she who loved him dearly.

"Naruto-kun… Naruto-kun…"

She said his name between her soft sobs.

Why…? Why does this have to happen to her?

.

.

.

Unbeknownst the fair maiden, pair of another pale eyes were able to witness her whole talk with Naruto. Neji was hidden behind a shogi, silently watching his pure cousin fall down to her knees and cry in agony.

Neji knew himself that his cousin deeply fell in love with Naruto without any doubt. No one had ever made her smile, laugh and talk like that until Naruto came to her life. He knew that it was him whom she loved… not Uchiha Sasuke. He knew that she was just trying her best to look fine in front of the other relatives and her father. He knew that she was just acting tough in front of them and accepted Sasuke as her future husband. He knew that… she was just doing everything for the clan.

He wished he could do anything to take her pain away. He wished he could take away all of her sufferings. But again… he was powerless.

He could do nothing to help his poor cousin.

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:  
**

****Yes, I admit... I really am a cruel author! *sigh*

Again, thank you for reading. Please, don't forget to review! :)

Don't miss the next chapters! The real action would start there. ^^ and... the real tragedy. *evil grin*

Yeah... I'm cruel.

**Vocabulary**

**Zataku- low table**


	10. Chapter 10: Destiny's New Game

**a/n:  
**

****thank you very much for all your reviews! They all really mean so much to me! :D

Now, I'm very motivated! I was supposed to post this chapter yesterday, but well... I fell asleep at exactly 7pm and woke up today at 9am. Yeah, I slept that long... because... my team(SENIORS, yeah. I'm a Senior student even if I don't look like one) is the champion for the Scrabble competition! Yay! Banzai! Indeed, that was the very first time I joined a Scrabble game. :D I bet it's beginner's luck that I was able to score high with my words.

Just wanted to share that. ^^

Enough of the author's unimportant notes. Haha.

oh, about the Sasuke-thingy... Your questions regarding his wedding with Hinata will be answered in this chapter and the next chapter. ^^

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Destiny's New Game**

The protected violet energy in the abandoned ruins of the Kurogami clan rapidly flows towards the temple of Shamans. The old man in a black cloak could feel his skin getting younger as the energy was being absorbed by the corpse inside the casket in front of him. He said ancient spells in an incredible speed as he doubled the delivery of his powers.

"Domon-sama!" a young shaman called out from the threshold of the door.

There came a strong wind that took off Domon's cloak. It came from the casket and at the same time, the protected aura flowing in the horizon disappeared.

An evil smirk formed o the corner of Domon's lips when his skin was turned back to his younger years. His long silver hair turned back to brownish-black hair, chipped lips returned to naturally smooth ones, wrinkles disappeared, and face showed no signs of oldness. In addition for those, he felt his true strength coming back to him.

"Finally… it's done… it's all done!" Domon shouted and laughed in triumph.

The young shaman fell down to her knees upon witnessing such an unbelievable phenomenon. "Impossible… Domon-sama did it…" she whispered surprisedly.

"Masayo… come out now, I want to see you, my sister." He said.

The ancient casket's cover flew up and landed on the ground to reveal the person trapped inside it for a very long time. The figure slowly rose from the tomb, and gracefully landed her feet on the floor as lightly as a feather. Worn out clothes began repairing themselves to decent clothes of a Head Shaman. Her skin was fair as snow, lips red as apple, eyes keen as an eagle, her hair black as raven, and her face was smooth as porcelain. When she saw her handsome brother, a sweet smile formed on her lips.

"It is nice seeing you again, my beloved brother."

Domon knelt down in front of her and kissed the back of her hand. "For long you have slept. I apologize for making you wait."

"You need not to worry about that. Even in my sleep, I still know how our enemies live. I can still feel their souls flaming inside their bodies… especially the soul of the sacred priestess." Masayo said.

"You really are an amusing shaman, my sister. I know… mother and father are proud to have you as a daughter and I… am really proud to be called as your brother." He said.

"You never change, brother. I am very happy too because you never forgot about me." Masayo said as she asked for him to stand up. She then walked towards a partly opened window and looked at the dilapidated scenery. "I've been asleep for a very long time… If Maeko thought that her curse was strong enough to kill me, then she is wrong. I never died for all she knows."

"Maeko was able to pass through my barrier just few days ago. Shall I go and kill her now?" Domon asked.

Masayo shook her head. "There is no need to rush, my beloved brother. There is no need to rush…" she said. "She will be the one coming at us… we shall give her a very warm welcome for our grand reunion. In two days, she will arrive… and that will certainly be the end of her life." And then she turned to the stunned young shaman by the door.

"And you… young one. I am giving you an order to inform the survivors of the Kurogami clan that the Powerful Head Shaman… is resurrected."

The young shaman nodded and respectfully bowed down to her. She then sprinted out of the temple and into the hidden village of the shamans.

Masayo looked up in the blue sky. "In two days… it is time for the full moon to reappear in the sky again. I will witness a blue moon after a very long time. In that full moon… the Kurogami clan will rise again and the sacred priestess would meet her death. After all the sufferings of our clan, it is the Hyuga clan's turn to suffer under our hands!"

* * *

Hyuga Household.

The fair Hyuga maiden was again seated by the porch and watching the Koi swim in the small pond. She looked as depressed as ever. It was just days ago when she decided to end everything with Naruto. It was just days ago when she pushed him away from her life. But, she was quite nervous when he said that he doesn't easily give up on his friends. Knowing what kind of person was Naruto, she was afraid of what may happen to him if he continues interacting with her. She knew it best that her father didn't like any single part in Naruto, and she didn't know why. He sacrificed a lot for her too in order to save her life that time. She just couldn't understand why Hiashi strongly forbids her to meet him.

Hinata shook her head and tried to wake herself up. Everything was done. She already told him to leave her… it is best for her to also forget about him. Because if she doesn't forget about him, it would be too hard for the both of them. She knew that she would never have him… it is better if she forgets the feelings she had for him and try to love Sasuke instead.

But… easier said than done. For a million times in her head she had screamed to stop thinking about him, but never succeeded even once.

Her wedding would be a couple of days from now. They would just wait for Sasuke to return from the mission with his team and then their marriage will commence. She should force herself to completely get Naruto out of her mind at all costs.

"Hinata-sama." Neji's voice suddenly interrupted Hinata's thoughts.

Hinata gave her cousin a look. "Oh, Neji-nisan. What is it that you need?" she asked.

"Well… I just want to talk to you about something." Neji said as he sat beside her.

"All right. I will listen to you." Hinata smiled.

"I know that your wedding is very soon… I know that you're worried about that. Sasuke might also be as nervous as you are." Neji began. "Even if you don't tell it to me, Hinata-sama… I know that you're just doing this for the sake of our clan. I know that he's not the one you love. You're just forced to marry him because Hiashi-sama and the elders wanted you to. But, it is not him whom you want to marry. It is not Sasuke whom you love."

Hinata turned her gaze away from Neji and looked down her lap.

"It is Naruto, am I right?"

Hinata wasn't able to answer… but with the look of her face, anyone could say that Neji was right.

"When Sasuke returns from his mission, you won't be able to see Naruto again." Hanabi added.

Hinata felt a tight clench in her heart.

"Hanabi-sama and I know about your secret meetings with Naruto. We were the ones who look out so no one could see both of you… We knew that it was prohibited, but… we thought that we want to make you happy once in a while." Neji paused. "We can see that it is only Naruto who can make you happy."

Neji was right again.

"But because of the marriage… you chose our clan over Naruto. You chose to let go of your happiness just for the sake of our clan. You chose to obey father even if it was sacrificing your own happiness. So even if it was hard for you, you told Naruto to leave you." Neji then placed a hand on Hinata's hand. "But still after doing all that… you still have feelings for him."

All that Hinata could do was lower her head and nod solemnly.

"Hinata-sama… We are the ones who make our own destiny. You're the only one who owns your destiny, not anybody else. You can always fight for it. If you wish to fight for it, I will be here by your side and I am willing to disobey Hiashi-sama's orders just to help you." Neji said in a serious tone. "I think… it is time for you to follow your desires, Hinata-sama. For long you have suffered in the Main family… it is time for you to chase your happiness."

Hinata slowly shook her head. "There is no need for that, Neji-ni-san. I already made up my mind… I already accepted that… Naruto-kun and I cannot be together." She said softly. "And… this is the only thing I could do for the clan. I know that I've been a nuisance for all these years. Father and mother are facing hardships too because of me… I could not be a ninja… I could not use the Byakugan… I could not be the Heiress of the clan… This is the only thing I could do to be useful to our clan."

"But, Hinata-sama—"

"It's fine, Ni-san. I'm glad that you are concerned of me." Hinata said. "Soon, I will be able to forget Naruto-ni-san… and I will be able to love Sasuke-kun. It might take a while but… I will do my best to be strong. Besides, I think that Naruto-kun would stop seeing me too… He's not coming back for days to see me again, after all." She said.

Neji shook his head. "You are wrong about that, Hinata-sama."

Hinata then lifted her head and looked at Neji's eyes.

"He talked to me days ago before he left for a mission. He told me to tell you that… he will never give up on you until you tell him the truth. He will not stop being your friend… and that he will help you for what you are facing." Neji said. "He will also talk to you when he comes back."

Hinata bit her lower lip. What if Sasuke returns earlier than Naruto? Then the time when Naruto comes back… she's already married to Sasuke. How could she solve this now?

"There's another thing you must know Hinata-sama." Neji said. "Naruto and Sasuke are teammates."

Hinata's eyes then widened in bewilderment. "Th… they're… t-teammates…?" she stammered.

Neji nodded.

Before Neji could say more to her, a servant suddenly came to call for him and told him that it was time for his training with Hiashi and Hanabi. Even if he didn't want to go yet, he had to leave Hinata.

"Hinata-sama, I apologize but I must go." He said as he stood up. But he got no response from the maiden. He knew that she was too stunned to react. So, for the meantime, he chose to leave her alone to give her some time to think.

Hinata couldn't describe what she was really feeling. The moment Neji said that Naruto and Sasuke were on the same team, she felt like as if a bomb was dropped on her. She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.

"Oh, God… please, help me."

* * *

Naruto was on a ship with his teammates, going back to Konoha after successfully completing a mission in the Land of Tea. During their mission, they met a guy named Morino Idate, who appeared to be the younger brother of the proctor of the first part of the Chunin exams, Morino Ibiki. They went through a lot in this mission and Naruto could definitely feel himself getting stronger again after the fights their team had. He was glad that everything turned out well and the three of them would go back to their village safely. Now that he thought of the village again, he looked down at the Azalea flowers in his hand and thought of Hinata.

As usual, during the mission, he wasn't able to stop thinking about her. After all, he left the village in bad terms with her. So, how could he just not think of her? She told him to leave her alone. He believed that her father didn't want him to go near her… but he had a feeling that that was not the only reason. He knew that Hinata was hiding something from him. And he wanted to find that out no matter what.

"Hey, Naruto." Sakura went beside him. "Where did you get those?" she asked.

"Oh, these?" He emphasized the Azalea flowers. "I asked Idate to pick some of these for me. I need to give it to someone in the village."

Sakura raised a brow. "You're giving it to someone in the village? Who might that be? " she asked teasingly.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan. I can't tell you who she is." Naruto said.

Sakura elbowed him on the ribs. "Come on. Tell it to me! Maybe I could help you to get her. Is she Ten-ten? It might be hard if it's her, I'm not that close to Lee-san's team… Or… is she Ino? Even if Ino is my rival, I still know LOTS of things about her so you can ask me anytime. Or… oh no, is she Ayame-san in the Ramen shop? You know that Teuchi-san can be overprotective of her! Or… could she be Temari?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, Sakura-chan. You never guessed right. She's not a ninja and she's not Ayame-neechan." He said.

Sakura frowned, "Then who is she? Is she someone I know?"

"Well, I guess so. Not everybody sees her, I even have to discreetly go to her house just to meet her." Naruto said.

"Oh, so… who is she?" Sakura asked.

"Sorry, not telling." Naruto grinned.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "So selfish." She then looked at the corner for Sasuke, who was coolly sitting on one of the barrels. "Ne, Sasuke-kun. Don't tell me you also know about this girl who Naruto is crushing on or something?"

Sasuke gave the loud kunoichi a cold stare, as usual. He was in deep thought, but thanks to Sakura again, he was disrupted. "I don't care." He replied shortly.

Before Sakura could speak, it was Naruto who answered Sasuke. "Keh! Go on and say that. When you see her, you're going to eat your words. She's gorgeous, cute, kind and sweet. She may be shy and timid but she's a really strong girl! You're going to be jealous of me when I finally get the opportunity to introduce her to you guys."

Sakura placed her hands on her hips. She's completely annoyed of Naruto… she hoped she didn't ask about the flowers.

Sasuke remained uninterested with Naruto's ramblings. He coldly ignored him and thought to himself again. Him? Jealous of Naruto for a girl? No way. He didn't have time for that. He had someone to return to in the village also… The next thing that his teammates will know, he's married to the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan. He wouldn't care about what other people would say. For him, she was important. More important than his life. So, there's no way he could get jealous of the girl that Naruto likes.

The only thing that Sasuke envied of Naruto was power. Nothing else than that.

* * *

It was undeniably quiet at the abandoned forest in the land of Shamans. Maeko halted on her steps as she and her escorts reached a wooden bridge. After days of traveling, she finally reached her destination. It was misty all around so they could not see anything, but as they approached the bridge, she could feel a familiar energy. She knew who owned that energy… She needed not to guess.

"I thank you for accompanying me. You may leave." She said.

Her escorts looked at her. "We cannot do that. We are in duty to protect you, milady."

"In this place, the only one who can protect me is myself. I assure you… you have done a great job escorting me to this place. I could ask no more for your help, so you two are dismissed." Maeko said as she handed them a pouch of gold. "It is nice meeting both of you. Now, go. You are not suited to be in this place."

Her two young escorts bowed at her. They looked hesitant to leave her first, but they could not do anything to convince her for them not to leave.

Maeko felt relieved that the two young men chose to leave her. She didn't want for them to get involve with this nor anyone in the sacred forest. Her decision was firm. She decided that she would deal with this by herself… she didn't want any more lives to be wasted just because of the past she had with the Kurogami clan.

The head priestess bravely stood near the wooden bridge and confidently looked ahead the misty area. "I have arrived. Domon, Masayo." She said.

Two figures all of a sudden appeared in the middle of the bridge and a strong wind came to clear out the mist. Two black-haired creatures welcomed Maeko's gaze, both were young as the last time she saw them.

Masayo raised a brow. "Oh, is that you, Maeko? You look so old." She said, "Now I could see how long I have slept in that casket. How are you doing these days?"

"I did not come here to chat with you, Masayo. I came here to stop you!" Maeko summoned her staff and got to her fighting stance.

Masayo raised her hand as if to stop Maeko. "Is that how you greet your old friend and your… old lover?" she said and then looked at her brother.

Domon stepped ahead of Masayo and greeted Maeko. "It is nice seeing you again."

"I am not delighted to see any of you again. You are not needed in this world anymore, you must disappear!" Maeko shouted as she pounded the tip of her staff on the ground and formed a hand seal. A ray of light appeared from her weapon when it felt the sun's light, several ancient letters flew around and resulted for a strong barrier to trap Domon and Masayo on the bridge.

"It is time for you to leave this world. I will not let you cause another disaster!" she shouted and took a paper seal from the pouch of her Priestess gear and threw it towards the barrier. She mumbled spiritual spells and was about to cast her attack on them.

"Oh! Do you really want to commit suicide, Maeko?" Masayo said that it interrupted her.

"What are you saying? You are the ones who are—" All of a sudden she felt something different, when Maeko looked at her surroundings, she was the one who was standing on the bridge and trapped in her own barrier. Domon and Masayo were at the other end of the bridge, which where she was standing on earlier. "How could this be…?"

Masayo laughed evilly. "You are still no match for me, Maeko. I couldn't believe that you grew weaker even if you were the Head Priestess of a nation."

Maeko quickly began working on dispelling the paper seal's attack, and she was able to make it before its power could strike her body. She then began to inactivate the barrier she formed.

"I don't want to waste my time on an old hag. I have better things to tend to." Masayo said and turned back from the Head Priestess. "Brother. I want her dead." She told him.

Domon nodded. "Do not worry. I can take care of her on my own. Be careful on your mission." He replied.

Masayo smirked. "No need to worry about me, too. They can never lay their hands on me ever again." She said with a dark chuckle and summoned a mirror of teleportation. "Oh, I feel so good being able to use my favorite spell again."

"Wait!" Maeko shouted as the Barrier shattered down to pieces.

"I believe that this is the last time we will ever see each other again, Maeko. Good bye." Masayo gave her an insincere smile and entered the Mirror of Portal. When the mirror swallowed her, it slowly faded away into thin air and transported its master to her desired location.

"NO! Masayo!" Maeko yelled.

Domon chuckled calmly. "You will not be able to stop us, Maeko. You're too old and too weak. Our skills are much stronger than yours… so if I were you, I would just give up and join the Kurogami clan." He said. "Can't you see… you will forever look young and get more powerful. We are the clan that would surpass any other kekkei genkai in this world once we regained our old position. Soon, we would rule the world and make those people pay for what they did to our clan!"

"Impossible. That will not happen." Maeko said.

"This is the last time that I will offer you to turn away from being a priestess. This is the last time that I will give you the opportunity to join our clan and be blessed by our power." Domon said as he stretched his hand out for her, "We can go back to the way we were, Maeko. Masayo would be your best friend again, and I will forever be by your side. We can start a new life. So, what say you, my love?"

Maeko intensely glared at her old lover. "My best friend is long dead. She is not Masayo… the real Masayo and Domon I love are both dead! I'd rather die than join the clan that killed my lover and best friend!" she then took another paper seal from her sleeves and activated it to attack Domon. A strike of lightning was summoned to hit the male shaman.

"I guess you chose the path of death." Domon easily dodged the lightning attack and leapt towards the bridge. He summoned for dark spirits and attacked Maeko all the way.

* * *

Naruto was finally back in the village. When he and his teammates got back earlier, he told them that he had to run some errands and couldn't go to report to Tsunade. So, he quickly left them with no further ado. Sakura was shouting at him several things but he ignored them and just thought of how he would settle everything with Hinata.

He got passed through that secret passage again, and reached the usual spot where he meets her. Unfortunately, she was not there, but he saw a book on the porch. He had a strong feeling that she was just there a while ago; a person like Hinata would not leave her book unfinished. So, he decided to wait.

…

After a moment, he saw her walk at the hallways and got back to her unfinished book. She picked the book up and was about to leave again, but Naruto showed no hesitations to show himself to her.

"Hinata." He spoke.

Hinata's eyes widened as widely as it could when she saw Naruto in front of her again. The book slowly slipped down from her hands, it took her a while to react due to her bewilderment.

"I was away so I wasn't able to come back soon. But, as I told you last time, I don't easily give up on my friends. Especially on you, Hinata." Naruto said as he approached her.

"Y-You can't meet me anymore, Naruto-kun. Just please… leave." Hinata stepped back as she looked down the ground.

"Here. I got this from my mission… I know that you loved Azaleas so I brought them just for you." Naruto said as he handed the flowers to her. "You once told me that you wanted to see them and keep them to your flower pressing book. You know, I felt really bad leaving for a mission when we're in bad terms. I couldn't stop worrying about you because I know that you're hiding something from me… Hinata, please don't be like this… you don't know how important you are to me now."

Hinata didn't know what to say. She was mesmerized by the beauty of real azaleas in Naruto's hand. Yes, she wanted to have her favorite flower added to her flower-pressing book for a very long time. And she didn't expect that it would be Naruto who would make one of her wishes come true again. But what stunned Hinata most were Naruto's words.

She was entirely sure that her efforts were all wasted… Right even when she started forgetting him, she knew that her efforts would be wasted because no matter what she did… it will always be down to Uzumaki Naruto. But, there were more reasons for her to stop loving him than to carry on. First, her clan, second, her father and third, her engagement. Most of all, Sasuke and Naruto were teammates… She didn't want to be a burden to the both of them. It would be trouble if Sasuke finds out that the one she truly loves is Naruto. It would also be trouble if Naruto finds out that her fiancé was Sasuke.

Why did it have to be so hard on them?

"Please, leave… Father might see us."

That was the best shot she got. She avoided his gaze as much as possible.

"All right. Then I'll leave." Naruto said simply.

Hinata felt another clench in her chest. She was the one telling him to leave… but she was still getting hurt whenever she told him that. Now that he agreed, the pain in her chest doubled.

"But not without you." Naruto added and then pulled her close to him. His moves were too fast that Hinata wasn't able to move on her own, and the next thing she knew, she was on his back again.

"N-Naruto-kun! Please, p-put me down!" Hinata struggled.

"We can't talk here freely because of your clan members. So, I'm taking you with me so no one could get in our way, dattebayo." Naruto said.

"But-"

"No more buts. I am taking you with me!" Naruto then ran towards his secret passage and easily kidnapped the Hyuga heiress. In a blink of an eye, they were gone.

Neji and Hanabi, who were being a watch-out again when they saw Naruto visit her again, saw the whole thing.

"Neji-ni-san, is it all right not to stop them? This will be very bad when father finds out." Hanabi said.

"Don't worry. I will explain everything if Hiashi-sama finds out." Neji replied. "After all… this might be the last time that Hinata-sama would be with Naruto. Now that Sasuke's back from his mission, tomorrow would be their wedding."

Hanabi looked down. "Yeah… you're right." She said in a sad tone. "Ni-san… do you think that my sister would be happy with Sasuke-ni-san?" she asked out of the blue.

Neji's eyes softened as he heard the young Hyuga's words. He could easily point out how worried Hanabi was about her elder sister. "Let's just hope that Hinata-sama's life would be better under the Uchiha's hand… Hinata-sama is the kindest person I've ever met. I guess it's not fair if she would not attain happiness."

"But… what if her real happiness is Naruto-ni-san?"

"If ever that is true… Fate has been very cruel to her." Was Neji's reply.

* * *

Naruto and Hinata had reached Konoha's forest. Hinata was tightly holding on to Naruto as the ninja leapt from branch to branch, like how both of them escaped the Kumo-nins back then. Now, Hinata regarded this as an escape from her life. She was still on defense if she would be mad at Naruto for taking her away from the compound or not. She wanted to escape her life… even just for a moment. Again, it was he who did the work for her.

For some reasons, she was thankful that he took her with him.

What if… she doesn't go back anymore? What if she entirely escapes her life?

Would fate be kinder to her?

Hinata bit her lip and shook her head. She had to stop thinking about that. She knew that it was not right to think of that, after all, she had made her decision. She wanted to be useful to the clan that's why she agreed with the engagement. She didn't want to be a burden to them anymore. She had chosen not to fight for her freedom… she already chose her clan over Naruto.

That's why… there is no way to escape her future.

After a moment, Naruto leapt down from the branch and placed Hinata on her feet. They had reached the place that Naruto has been wanting to take her to. It was a bird sanctuary in the Konoha forest; not everyone is allowed to go in here but he didn't care. He usually went in this place to relax, and he had no intentions of harming the birds in this silent sanctuary.

Hinata momentarily forgot about all her problems when she saw the place. The trees stood tall to shade them from the sun's rays, birds sang harmonically and flew around, the scent of the grass under her feet gave a nice smell on her nose, and the sound of a small waterfall gave a soothing music to her ears. The water in the spring was very clear that she could see fishes swimming playfully in it. She had never seen such a beautiful place.

When Naruto saw Hinata's reaction, he was proud of himself to be able to get her here. "This is a Bird Sanctuary. I usually come here when I want to rest peacefully. I've been wanting to take you here… but I couldn't because I know it's forbidden. But, I had no choice earlier. I need to get you out of your house. I can feel that you're very suffocated there…"

Hinata turned away from him and looked down her feet. After all what she told him, he still thought of her well-being?

Could it be that… He also…

Even a little… does he feel the same way towards her?

No. Hinata couldn't think of that. She has to settle this once and for all. This should have been settled a long time ago.

"Now, Hinata. Tell me all those words you told me in the compound. I want you to look me in the eye." Naruto said.

Hinata clenched her fists on her chest. She wanted to do that… but she couldn't. She could never look in his eyes and tell it all to him straightly. The fragile maiden shut her eyes to prevent her tears from flowing out and did not turn to face the boy.

"This… This will be the last time that we will see each other again, Naruto-kun." She said softly.

"Why won't you look at me? No one will see us here. Your father will not hear us or your sister or Neji. You can tell it all to me… when you can look at me in the eye, I will obey what you say." He said.

Hinata was never good in keeping her emotions under her sleeves. But she tried her best to control her feelings. She slowly turned to face him and look him in the eye. She tried to speak… but nothing came out from her mouth. She couldn't say the words she repeatedly told him in the household. She couldn't do it. No, she could _never_ do it.

Naruto then felt bad at himself for asking her to do that. He could see how hard it was for her to do but he needed to do that to make sure if that's what she really wanted to happen. But, now he was sure that she was just doing this for her father again. It was not out of her desires.

"Hinata, why don't you tell me what happened? I know that you're having a hard time… and I can't stand seeing you like this. It's hurting me, too." Naruto said. "What is it that you are hiding from me?"

Hinata timidly shook her head and looked away from his eyes again.

She did that again. "Why can't you tell me, Hinata? Maybe I could help you." Naruto said.

"I-I can't…" Hinata stuttered.

"Then why?" Naruto asked.

"What about you…? Why do you want to know? J-Just what am I to you?" Hinata said with a fairly louder voice.

"You want to know? You really want to know why and how important you are to me?" Naruto confidently asked. It sounded more of like a statement than a question. "I love you."

There it was. He spoke it. The three words that would change their lives forever.

Hinata's eyes grew wide as she brought her hands to her mouth. She was too stunned to react.

"I spent sleepless nights thinking about you. There was not a day that I will not think of you. I always worry about your state in your house and I always felt bad whenever I would go on a mission and leave you in the village. At first, I was confused too… I thought that I was just missing your company. But, when you told me to never go and see you again, I realized that what I'm feeling is deeper than friendship." He paused and went closer to her. "I didn't want to get out of your life. I didn't want you to disappear in my life… I felt so hurt when you said that I can't see you again. It's like I've been killed in the inside."

He clenched his fists.

"I liked hearing your voice… I liked seeing you smile… I wanted to make you happy. You were my inspiration that's why I keep on doing my best to get stronger. I wanted to be the right man for you someday… I wanted for your father to acknowledge me, too. I wanted to be strong enough to protect you." He slowly reached for the fair maiden and then gently pulled her closer to him. He never wanted to let her go.

"You mean so much to me, Hinata. So, I can't just leave and forget you that easily. Even if it were your father who'd get in the way, I will not give up. I am willing to fight for you." He whispered sincerely.

That was it. Tears couldn't be stopped from flowing out of Hinata's pale eyes. She was trembling in Naruto's embrace. Slowly, she placed her hand on Naruto's chest and clutched his orange shirt tightly. She buried her face on his shoulder.

No… Now, how can she forget about him? He just confessed his love for her. He did feel the same to her… He loved her, too. Even with that one reason for her to continue loving him, it exceeds her other reasons to forget about him for her clan. She was glad that he loved her back… but she knew that it was wrong.

"Why are you crying, Hinata? I… I'm not asking you to feel the same for me, too. I just—"

"I… I already fell in love with you a long time ago, Naruto-kun." She said in a hoarse voice.

It was Naruto's turn to be stunned. He literally froze on his spot as he felt Hinata crying on his shoulders. His mind went blank… and he didn't know what to say next upon hearing what Hinata felt about him. Silence formed between them, and only Hinata's sobs filled the place.

Both of them stayed like that for a moment. Neither of them didn't want to let each other go… they were afraid that one of them might disappear. They didn't want to break the contact for they wanted to stay like this forever.

Hinata wished that she could stay with him forever. But… who was she trying to fool?

No matter how hard she tried or how much she wanted to… she knew that it will never be possible.

"I'm sorry… I-I'm sorry, Naruto-kun…" she said weakly between her sobs.

"Why are you apologizing, Hinata?" Naruto gently pushed her to make him see her face.

Why did she look like she was going through so much pain?

Hinata closed her eyes and bit her lower lip. "W-We can't be together… W-we can never be together…" she said.

"Is this because of your father again? You're not going through this alone. I will be by your side. I will also fight for you and—"

"I-It's not that…" she cut his words as she continued crying.

"Then why? Tell it to me." Naruto said.

With so much pain and loneliness in her voice she had told him…

"I-I'm engaged…"

* * *

Sasuke was led to one of the special guest rooms in the Hyuga compound again. He just returned from his mission and was instructed by the Konoha elders to go straight to the Hyuga compound to see Hiashi and Hinata once he was done reporting to the Hokage. Yes, the Konoha elders approved of the union of the Uchiha and Hyuga clan and would announce their marriage this evening. The wedding would be held tomorrow morning with all the villagers' presence.

He hated to admit it but… he was quite nervous for tomorrow. Maybe it was just normal… it was his wedding after all. But this was the very first time that he felt anxious about something. But, at the same time… he was sort of excited. He hadn't seen Hinata for some time so he wanted to see her as soon as he got back to the village.

As he waited for Hiashi and Hinata to arrive, he felt a strange chakra in household. Not from a Hyuga… maybe not even from a ninja. It was too strong and… dark. He quickly got into his feet and didn't waste time to get the hell out of the room to find the source of this incredible power.

.

.

.

"Hiashi-sama, a lady is looking for you at the main gate. I have never seen her before so I told her to wait outside." A servant approached Hiashi.

Hiashi gave the servant a look. "A lady? How does she look like?"

"She wears a very decent kimono and her face was covered by a Haori. But she told me that Hiashi-sama and Haruka-sama knew her very well…" the servant replied.

Hiaashi wore a frown on his face. His wife, Haruka suddenly had an anxious expression on her face.

"All right. We will see her." Hiashi said and then he and his wife walked at the hallways, then to the Hyuga front gate.

When they could see the front gate, they noticed the lady in a red Kimono and black Haori with an incredibly long black hair. She said that she was someone he and Haruka knew very well? But, he could not remember someone like her. But… she also kind of looks familiar to him.

"State your name. I know not of you." Hiashi said.

A small smile formed in the corner of the lady's red lips. Her hidden sharp eyes stared directly at Hiashi and then to Haruka. "Oh, please, do not tell me that you already forgot about me? Hiashi-sama, Haruka-sama." She said.

"I am sorry… but I do not remember you, Ojou-san. But, you do look kind of familiar to me." Haruka said.

"I see. It cannot be helped… it has been a very long time, after all. The firstborn of the Hyuga clan is already twelve years old, I presume." The lady said. "But it sort of hurt my feelings that you two forgot about me. I wasn't able to forget you in my whole life…"

Hiashi glared suspiciously at her. He was starting to familiarize who she was. Her voice… the way she speaks… her clothes…

"Well, I guess you still haven't forgotten my pretty face." The lady said and then took off the Haori on her head to let the Hyugas see her face.

Hiashi and Haruka could hardly believe it. Everything stopped for them for a while as they tried to absorb what was happening. Their eyes were wide upon seeing the lady's face… this was the exact same face they had last seen when she died.

"M-Masayo!" Haruka brought her hands to her mouth and she felt her whole body trembling.

"This cannot be… you're long dead." Hiashi said. He was just as shocked as Haruka.

"What's with those reactions? Why do I feel like my old friends do not want to see me again? First Maeko… now, you two. Oh, maybe you're too shocked to see why I still look so young and beautiful just like in the old days. But, don't worry, Haruka-sama. Even if you got old, you still look gorgeous." Masayo said.

Hiashi could feel Haruka's fear. She was trembling madly behind him and this was not good for her. He immediately asked for a servant to bring his wife back to her room.

"What? It's been a very long time and you won't let Haruka-sama stay longer for me?" Masayo said sarcastically. "I still want to ask her about how she was able to survive giving birth to your firstborn. Oh, and may I ask… where is the girl? I want to see her."

"Why have you come back?! Do you think that I'd let you step in my compound to see my daughter and talk to my wife?" Hiashi shouted. "Ko!"

Ko immediately appeared behind Masayo and pointed a kunai on her neck.

"Why are you still alive?" Hiashi asked in a pissed off manner.

"Calm down, calm down. Don't fuss over me too much… I came here alone." She replied calmly.

"Answer me!" Hiashi shouted agitatedly as the kunai on her neck got closer to her skin.

Masayo narrowed her eyes. "You really want to know why I'm still alive? It's because I still haven't completed my revenge on your family! It's simply because I failed killing your firstborn!" she said firmly.

Haruka gulped hard and found it hard breathing air. "No… No… stop it! D-Don't harm my… daughter!" she yelled between her gasps.

That was the time when Sasuke, Neji and Hanabi appeared.

"Mother? Father? What is happening here?" Hanabi asked.

Masayo raised a brow when she saw a younger Hyuga enter the scene. "Oh, a sibling of the firstborn, I see." She muttered. "I guess I was successful to disappoint the whole family. The firstborn indeed didn't have the ability of the Hyuga as I planned." She chuckled and looked Hanabi directly.

Hanabi flinched from her spot.

"Hanabi, go inside!" Hiashi instructed his daughter.

"No, no, no. I wish to speak with your other daughter. I bet she is the new heiress of this clan… she must be a very intelligent child as you are, Hiashi-sama." Masayo said and then all of a sudden, a black spirit flew across the empty space and immediately went towards Hanabi. Before anyone could take action, the black spirit entered Hanabi's body.

"HANABI!" Haruka ran towards her daughter.

The young Hyuga lost her consciousness at once and Sasuke and Neji were able to catch her before she fell on the ground.

Hiashi was forced to activate his Byakugan and was about to give a Jyuken to Masayo.

"Hold on just a minute! I wouldn't do that if I were you." Masayo warned. "I demand you to remove this kunai, too." She told Ko. "Hmph. If you try to attack me or kill me… that means killing your precious Hanabi, too."

"What?" Hiashi then turned to look at his daughter and then he saw a black spirit flowing through her chakra points. It was the same chakra of what Masayo had… and when he turned back to look at Masayo, he saw Hanabi's chakra mixing in her body.

"See? You cannot harm me. Well, I won't complain if you want to kill me… but your Heiress's life and my life are now connected." She said and chuckled.

Several dark spirits then appeared in the household to enter the other Hyuuga's bodies except for Haruka's and Hiashi's. All the servants fell to their knees, coughing and spitting out blood. It was a different technique compared to Hanabi's.

"Ninjas cannot harm a shaman. We are stronger beings than you are. We have the ability to call for cursed and strong spirits and make our opponents suffer under our black magic." Masayo said. "Now, I also have your servants' life under my hands. I can get their souls whenever I want… but don't worry, I won't be able to get Hanabi's because it's tied with me. And no need to worry about your servants. As long as you obey my orders, I won't massacre this clan."

"You're a monster! What have you done to my daughters?!" Haruka shouted on top of her lungs as she hugged Hanabi tightly.

"How could you call me a monster, Haruka-sama? With this beauty? You must be kidding me." Masayo said.

"Neji! Sasuke! Protect Hinata!" Hiashi commanded.

Neji and Sasuke immediately acted and obeyed Hiashi's orders. They quickly stood up and went inside the mansion to look for another way out.

"Foolish. You don't even know where your daughter is." Masayo said. "I wonder how much you care about this Hinata that you only sent two kids to protect her. But, too bad for them… they won't be able to get to her on time." she then summoned the mirror of portal again.

Hiashi looked at her in perplexity.

"Fools. I can easily locate where Hinata is. She is the sacred priestess that's why I planned to kill her when she was a baby. Now, that Maeko wouldn't be able to protect her from me anymore… my plans will definitely succeed. Let me tell you… your daughter is not in this compound anymore." She said and then entered the portal and disappeared.

"Ko! Gather the others! We must look for Hinata! AT ONCE!" Hiashi shouted as loudly as he could.

This cannot be happening… his two daughters…

His two daughters were both in danger.

Neji and Sasuke reached the Koi pond. Neji had told that there was another way out of the compound, and it was in a secret passage.

But, Sasuke was confused. Why was Hinata not in the compound? She never left the household on her own… plus, she was not allowed to.

"I have no time to explain. We must hurry and look for her, Uchiha." Neji said as he activated his Byakugan and entered the passage that Naruto found out.

Sasuke nodded and followed Neji. When he was about to enter the secret passage that Neji showed him, something caught his eyes and made him halt for a moment.

It was a flower. He saw an Azalea flower lying on the ground.

His eyes widened at this. He knew this flower… he knew who had this. There were no Azaleas in Konoha because of the hot temperature…so it was impossible for Hinata to have this on her own.

But there was one person who brought these flowers to the village. There was one person who said that he would give it to someone who loved Azaleas so much.

Sasuke knew that Hinata loved Azaleas.

But Sasuke never thought that _that guy_ would give it to her.

Now, his questions regarding why Hinata was not in the compound were answered.

She was with _Naruto_.

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:**

****This was an incredibly long chapter. whew. The shaman invasion is here! Oh noooooooo! Catch up the next chapter! And now... I'm telling you not to worry about Sasuke and Hinata's wedding. :) Don't worry about that at all.

Please, don't forget to review! Thank you! ^^


	11. Chapter 11: The Punishment

**a/n:  
**

****here I a again, updating! I thank you all again for the wonderful reviews! 94... TT^TT oh, I feel very happy! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! *Bows*

Oh, I often forget to mention that this story will more or less contain 35 chapters. ^^ Some will be very long chapters, like this(6000 and above words), and others would be standard.(4000 words)

Here's chapter 11~

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KHR.**

* * *

**Chapter 11: The Punishment**

"Hn. I shouldn't have underestimated you, Maeko." Domon said in a deep voice as he kept on dodging the thunder attacks that Maeko's summoned spirit was creating. "But… unfortunately, you are not strong enough to defeat me!" he then summoned another dark spirit that made a barrier to shield him, and then it all reflected the thunder back to Maeko and her spirit.

Maeko, who was badly injured already from the fight, mustered her speed on her knees to be able to get out of the range. The thunder spirit did the same, but unluckily didn't get away from the other dark spirit. The dark spirit stabbed a huge claw right through the thunder spirit's chest, and in a moment, the poor spirit faded away.

The head priestess crouched on the ground as she held her staff to support her. '_This is not good. Domon defeated all the spirits I summoned… But all he had summoned are two dark spirits. The Spirit of the Dark Sword, and The Dark Reflector… what must I do to find his weakness when my light doesn't work on him anymore?'_ she thought. '_There's no other choice… I must try to use a light magic again._'

Maeko stood up from her spot, ignoring all the wounds she had gotten from the battle and focused her power to her staff. She silently spoke Spiritual spells again as she closed her eyes.

"Oh? Another light magic? How many times do I have to tell you that your light doesn't work on me anymore?" Domon commanded for the Dark Spirits to attack her at once and they flew towards her direction.

Before her enemies could get near her, Maeko opened her eyes and a very great light shone from her staff that distracted her enemies. The spirits were stunned for a moment and she used the opening to throw a paper talisman on them. The talismans landed on the black creatures, and then Maeko raised two fingers down her chin and shouted, "_Kieru_!" The paper talismans illuminated and paralyzed the dark spirits and in a blink of an eye, they disappeared into thin air.

"Hmmm… Impressive." Domon muttered. "No one has been able to make my favorite spirits vanish before. But it's still a waste… I can summon lots of spirits any time I want." He took a dark paper talisman from his pouch and then threw it to the air. As it flew to the enormous light coming from Maeko's staff, he mouthed a spell that made his talisman absorb all the light until nothing more of it came from the priestess.

"You're already weak, Maeko. No matter what spell you use, it's pointless." Domon said and then lots of other spirits came out to attack her. Black flames engulfed and formed a circle to trap her in the middle, and then black vines came from the ground to wrap her arms and legs. The dark creatures floating in the air stared down at her and were laughing maniacally.

Maeko tried to struggle, but the vines separated her staff from her. The more she struggled, the more the dark vines absorb her strength.

"You have wasted the opportunity I gave you to join our clan for one last time. Now, you will regret it." Domon said.

"I will never ever regret rejecting your offer!" Maeko still managed to shout.

"You are still strong-willed. That is one of the traits I loved about you…" Domon chuckled, "But… as you know who I am, I show no mercy to my enemies."

"Laugh as long as you want. But I wonder how long you will be able to." Maeko stated. "I have seen our futures yesterday, Domon. I knew that this would what exactly happen to the both of us… and I know what exactly Masayo will do to the Hyuga clan and the sacred priestess!"

Domon crossed his arms over his chest, "Even if you knew, you will not be able to do anything about it."

Maeko formed a malicious smile. "You're mistaken."

Domon frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I found out… I found it all out last night as I was praying under the moonlight! When I cursed Masayo in an attempt to kill her a long time ago, Masayo casted a curse on me to not be able to foresee the sacred priestess's future accurately! But, last night… I was able to destroy that curse… I was able to clearly see it all." Maeko said. "All this time, I was mistaken of who would be able to protect Hinata-sama, but now… I know very well his real identity. Even if Masayo could kill Hinata-sama… she will not be killed! She will live… and soon… she will be strong… SHE WILL DELIVER YOU TO YOUR DEATHS!"

"Shut your mouth, imbecile!" Domon shouted. "I do not trust your abilities! You have seen a wrong future!"

"Oh, really? You do not believe the Head Priestess's ability anymore?" Maeko said sarcastically, "You and Masayo might have gotten a Shaman's eternal power… but Shamans could still not have the ability to foresee the future! I care not whether you believe me or not. But one thing I am sure… The time will come that the Kurogami clan's existence will entirely be erased from this world!"

"Silence! I do not want to hear your voice ever again." Domon was flared up in rage as he stepped across the dark flames to stand before her. "My sister will succeed in her plans… we will be unstoppable and those who get in the way will vanish." He hissed and pulled a dagger out of his sash. He controlled the vines to wrap themselves around her tighter, especially on her neck. "This will be your doom, Maeko. You will feel all the sufferings I've encountered for all these years because of you… YOU WILL PAY FOR ALL WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO OUR CLAN!"

Before Maeko could move, she felt the sharp dagger stab through her skin, all the way through her heart. Blood spitted out of her mouth as she looked up in the blue sky.

_I accept my destiny, God. I deserve to face a brutal death. I have no regrets to die for Hinata-sama._

She thought to herself.

Domon didn't stop on stabbing her. Blood now stained his decent clothes and stained his clean hands. He sliced her flesh for all he wanted.

Maeko could not feel her body any more. This was her death, and she would fearlessly accept it.

_Shinra… Rika… Head Monk, Ike… Tomoyo… I leave the rest to you. Please, do everything to protect Hinata-sama. And Kurama-sama… I leave Uzumaki Naruto under your hands._

* * *

"Is that why you kept on… pushing me away?" Naruto finally had the courage to speak after moments of silence. He held her shoulders and pleaded for her to look back to his eyes.

Hinata's tears kept flowing like a river. She looked at his hurt expression… and it made her feel worse. That was the very first time she saw Naruto wear such a sad and painful expression on his face. All she could do was nod weakly and close her eyes.

Naruto's hands slumped back on his sides numbly. He didn't know what to do. Everything in his mind was spinning crazily and he couldn't think well. All he knew was… Hinata was engaged. The person he loves was getting married.

"… The wedding… when is it?" he asked in a shaky voice.

Hinata bit her lower lip and clutched her hands tighter. "T…Tomorrow…"

Naruto felt another painful stab in his chest. He thought that everything would be fine now that they knew what they felt for each other. He could handle her father; he knew to himself that loving the Hyuga heiress would not be easy. He was determined to prove himself that he could be rightful to the Hyuga Head's daughter. But… Hinata being engaged to someone else? He never thought of that. And now, he was taking it hard.

"Why… Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he said. "Why did you have to hide it from me?"

Hinata tried her best to stop sobbing. Her eyes partly open looking at the ground. "I… I couldn't…" she gulped, "I tried to but… it was so painful. I couldn't tell Naruto-kun because… it was hurting me so much. I'm sorry…"

Naruto felt bad upon hearing her reply. He was selfish… why didn't he think that Hinata was the one who was taking it the hardest? She chose to push him away from her life so she wouldn't be able to tell it to him. She chose to hide it because she loved him. She chose to bear it all to herself.

Why did this have to happen to them?

They both loved each other. It was already clear. But, why do unexpected events continue separating them?

"Who is he? Who are you engaged with?" Naruto said. "Tell me… who is he?"

Hinata felt her throat become dry. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Just how could she possibly tell him that the one whom she will marry is Uchiha Sasuke? Naruto's teammate. How could she just tell him that?

"Can he protect you? Is he from some noble family? Is he strong enough? Will he be able to make you happy? Will he take care of you?" Tons of questions came from him as tears threatened to fall from his eyes. Lastly, he asked, "Do you love him?"

With that, Hinata quickly responded with a solemn shake of her head.

"Then why? Why did you agree with this engagement? You don't even love your fiancé!" Naruto said, "We can work this out. I will help you talk to your father and tell him what you really feel. I will tell him that you and I both love each other and—"

"We can't do that, Naruto-kun…" she said in a weak voice.

"Why? Is it because you're afraid to stand up against him?" he asked, his voice slightly cracking up as he held back his tears.

"I have made my decision... All my life, I've been a burden to my family. I never filled their expectations and I know that all of them are disappointed in me… because I wasn't able to be a ninja and I failed as an heiress. My mother and father suffered too because of me… And I wanted to stop their sufferings. For once, I –I wanted to be useful to my clan."

"Even if it means not standing up for yourself? Hinata, you lived your whole life trapped in a cage. You don't have freedom because of them… you always obeyed what they ordered. It's time for you to stand up for yourself… It's time for you to have your happiness and freedom." He said.

"I'm really sorry, Naruto-kun… I-I already accepted everything." She said.

"No! I will not let this happen! I am willing to fight for you, Hinata… no matter what it takes, I will fight for you." Naruto said. Before he could continue, a magical mirror all of a sudden appeared out of nowhere.

Hinata and Naruto's attention were drawn towards it. Naruto instinctively stood in front of her to be ready to protect her from any harm.

To their surprise, a dazzling lady stepped out of the mirror. Long black hair and decent kimono; she looked like a Goddess. She was beautiful… but dangerous.

"There you are." Masayo said as the mirror disappeared. "I never failed tracking down your aura, Hyuga Hinata. And this is the very first time I've seen you in person."

Hinata felt shivers to her spine, "W-Who are you…?"

Masayo frowned, "You know me not? I couldn't believe that your mother and father didn't speak of me for all these years. I wonder how they were able to hide the truth from you." She said, "Well, I couldn't blame them. After all, I am the root of all your sufferings."

"What are you saying? What do you need from Hinata?" Naruto growled as he took a kunai from his pouch.

Masayo gave Naruto a cold stare, "You stay out of this, kid." She said and then turned back to Hinata. "For all you know, Hinata… I've been watching you all your life. Right from the moment Haruka-sama gave birth to you… during the days your father trained you to wield the Byakugan, and you becoming a huge failure of a Hyuga heiress. I was able to witness it all even in my slumber."

"W-What are you talking about? I… I do not know you…" Hinata said.

"I am just the head shaman of the Kurogami clan. For all you know, it is your clan's fault that we were erased from this world. You must be wondering what your family has to do with us shamans." Masayo said, "It's simple. Your father had committed a sin to all of us Shamans. He hid the whole truth to you… that you will be the one to bear all of your family's sins. Your soul was supposed to be mine on the night of December 27th, the date of your birth if Maeko didn't just interrupt and curse me. The head priestess planned to kill me with the curse, but I was too strong. She thought that I died but she was wrong… I was just put into deep slumber and I was still able to look after you because I could still feel your aura." She paused. "Now, that I am back to life… it is time for me to take your soul that bears the sin of your whole family."

"I don't really understand what you're talking about… I know you want Hinata dead… but I will not let you hurt her!" Naruto shouted and formed a cross with his hand, "Tajuu Kagebunshin no Jutsu!"

Hundreds of clones appeared in a puff of smoke and attacked the head shaman without hesitations.

As the clones dealt with the enemy, the original Naruto took Hinata to run away.

"Foolish ninja. Do you think I'll let you stop me?" Masayo muttered and then summoned undead monsters to defend herself from the bunshins. The monsters easily swept the pests away and Masayo could see that the real one was planning to take Hinata away. She immediately threw a Paper talisman towards Naruto's path and it formed a huge barrier to trap them all inside.

"Damn it!" Naruto cursed under his breath as he tried to look for another way out, but it was too late. They were trapped inside the barrier.

"What do we do, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked worriedly.

"It'll be all right. I won't let her get near you." Naruto said and then sliced his thumb with a Kunai. He formed several hands seals and then landed his palm on the ground. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

A puff of smoke appeared once again. "I'm counting on you, frog boss—"

But there was no signs of a Frog Boss coming out. Instead… two red and yellow small frogs came out.

"What is it this time, Naruto?!" Gamatachi complained.

"I'm starving…" Gamakichi said.

"Whaaaat?! Why did both of you come out?! Where's the Frog boss?!" Naruto shouted.

"Dad is called by someone else. Now, why did you call us he—" before Gamatachi could finish, black creatures flew towards them that scared the hell out of the brothers. "What the heck are those creatures, Naruto?!"1

Naruto immediately carried Hinata with him and leapt to dodge the creepy monsters. "Like hell I know! That Witch is after Hinata's life! I need help to protect her!"

"Hinata?" Gamatachi and Gamakichi somehow got away from the enemies. "Oh, she's the Hinata you were talking about! And you want us to help you protecting her… from THEM?!"

"Are you crazy? We're not like daddy!" Gamakichi exclaimed.

They continued running as Naruto kept on creating more clones to attack the monsters. "What are you saying?! Don't tell me you're going to leave me again?!"

"It's not our fault that your summoning technique is still weak! We're sorry but… we have to leave you, Naruto. We will die here!" Gamatachi said.

"Sorry, Naruto. Good bye!" And then the two small frogs disappeared into smoke.

"Damn… This is bad." Naruto whispered to himself. All he could do was dodge the attacks of the monsters for he didn't know how to defeat them. He didn't know what kind of creatures they were in the first place! The best he could do to counter them was throw kunais with explosive tags attached on them. Unfortunately, that still didn't work. And his clones weren't any help for him to attack the head shaman… the creatures she was summoning was too strong for him.

"This will lead you to nowhere, brat." Masayo said. "You will not be able to defeat me… and you will not be able to get out of my barrier." She rose a hand and made the monsters she summoned disappear, but a bigger creature replaced them.

In one sweep of its tail, all of Naruto's clones puffed into smoke.

"See? All of what you do is useless. You won't be able to protect the Hyuga. Just hand her to me, and I will let you get out of here. I have no interests in you." Masayo said to Naruto.

"Didn't I just tell you that I won't let you lay a hand on Hinata? I will protect her with my life even if it kills me!" He then produced one clone and opened up his right palm to concentrate his chakra on his hand. The clone helped molding his chakra and in a few seconds, a blue ball of chakra was forming on his hand.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata said.

"I don't go back on my words… that is my ninja way!" He shouted and then the clone disappeared when the technique was fully developed. Naruto ran towards the head shaman with the ball of chakra in his hand.

"Impressive technique you have there… But… I will not let a brat like you get in my way." Masayo said and then signaled for her summoned monster to attack Naruto.

The huge creature ran towards the blond-haired Shinobi, sending beams towards him. A huge smoke formed as the beams came in contact with the ground and Naruto was able to dodge it all. He jumped up the air and aimed the ball of chakra on the monster.

"RASENGAN!"

The huge creature created consecutive beams from its mouth again before Naruto could land the technique on it. But its attack were useless for Naruto was able to get through those with Rasengan on his hand. The Rasengan was able to destroy the beams and let its wielder get through them easily. Soon, it landed towards the creature and a huge explosion occurred.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata shouted on top of her lungs.

"I-Impossible!" Masayo exclaimed as she shielded herself from the explosion. She was forced to dispel the barrier in order not to compress the impact of the strong power of the kid. _What is this kid? How is he able to defeat one of my strong monsters? No… I won't let him get in the way… I've waited for this long enough… I won't let him destroy all of my plans!_

Feeling her blood boil upon seeing that the shinobi survived, she took a paper talisman from her kimonos pouch and threw it towards Naruto in a fast speed.

Naruto wasn't able to react quickly when the paper talisman got attached to his body. All of a sudden, an electrical shock came out of the talisman and paralyzed his whole body. "AAAAAAAAARGH!" he screamed in pain as he fell down the ground.

"That's what you get for killing my pet." Masayo said as she walked closer to him. She stopped when she was three yards away and then she swung her hand to command the talisman to repeat the electrical shock again. This time, it was twice stronger and longer.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGH!"

When the attack ended, Naruto couldn't feel his body anymore. He couldn't move his legs and arms… and his whole strength was drained out of him.

Still, he didn't lose consciousness.

"Why… why are you still alive?!" Masayo shouted as she was about to repeat the same attack again.

"Stop it!" Hinata ran and stood in front of the head shaman with her arms raised side wards as if to shield Naruto. "Please, stop it already… Naruto-kun is already in pain! It's me whom you're after, right? Here I am so stop hurting Naruto-kun!"

Masayo smirked evilly at her as she brought her hand down. "You have guts to shout at me, young heiress. But, I admire your courage… Even if you know that you won't stand a chance against me, you chose to stand up for this ninja."

"I will not be afraid to sacrifice my own life for him." Hinata said bravely.

Masayo raised a brow. "Well, whether you sacrifice your life for him or not, I will still take your soul with me.:

"Hinata… no… run…" Naruto said weakly.

Masayo immediately took the young maiden and strangled her with one hand before Hinata could think of running away. The Head Shaman's eyes turned white as a violet aura flowed from her body towards Hinata's body. The seal on Hinata's forehead began glowing as she received an unusual energy from Masayo.

Hinata had felt this painful sensation in her body before. It was the same when she was in the forest when the Kumo ninjas kidnapped her, but this time, it was more painful. She couldn't describe the pain in her body anymore… it felt like her soul was being ripped apart.

"St… Stop it… Let go of her…" Naruto said in a hoarse voice. He screamed for his legs to stand up, but they didn't listen. He screamed for his arms to push him up, but they didn't listen. He screamed for his body to move and save Hinata, but it didn't listen. The only one he could command were his eyes… all he could do was watch her scream in pain.

"Tomorrow night… your soul will be mine, my dear." Masayo chuckled. "I can hardly wait…" she then released her grip around Hinata's neck and let her fall the ground as if she were a piece of junk. Afterwards, she summoned the mirror again and entered it to transport herself back to Domon.

"Hi…nata…" he tried his best to reach her hand, but he failed. He still couldn't feel a thing from head to toe. But he could still clearly see her. Pain was written all over her face and an unknown violet seal was glowing on her forehead. It looked like it was draining her energy… and her life. Her eyes were shut tightly for he knew she was bearing so much pain.

"No… Hinata… I'm sorry…"

A tear then rolled down Naruto's cheek. He felt mad at himself. He promised her that he would protect her with all his life… but what happened? He was immediately defeated by the Witch. He was not strong enough to keep her safe.

He was useless.

Just why… why did this have to happen to them now that they admitted what they really feel for each other? He'd rather see her get married with someone else than see her die. As long as she's alive, he could accept that she's not meant for him… but, seeing her die? Why does fate have to be so cruel to him? Most of all… to her?

"Hinata-sama! Naruto!" A familiar voice suddenly came. Then he was able to see Neji appear beside Hinata and taking her in his arms. "Hinata-sama, please, wake up! Naruto! Hang in there!"

"Neji… I'm sorry…" Naruto said in a low voice.

"Hinata!"

All of a sudden, Naruto heard a very familiar voice. But, he didn't expect to hear it in this place. Most of all, he didn't expect it to speak Hinata's name. Maybe it was just his imagination… or maybe his hallucination.

But, he was not wrong.

Even with his sight getting blurry, he knew that it was _him. _Raven hair, blue shirt and white shorts… and a certain clan badge was the design of the back of his shirt.

"Hinata! No… wake up! Hinata! Naruto!" He spoke.

With a few strength remaining in his body, Naruto mustered them to say one last word.

"Sasuke…"

And then after that, everything went black.

* * *

"No… this can't be… Darling, this can't be!" Haruka cried desperately as she was being embraced by her husband. Tears were flowing from her eyes uncontrollably.

Hiashi tightened his hug on his wife. "You are the Hokage of this village as well as the First Hokage's granddaughter. You are a medical ninja and you must know how to save my daughters!"

Tsunade bowed with her deepest apologies. "I apologize… but I do not have a cure for this mysterious illness. I was never able to study about the existence and spells of the Shaman Clan… Even a priestess wouldn't be able to heal Hinata anymore. The seal on her forehead… is far stronger than any seals I've encountered."

"Hokage-sama… are you saying that… there's no chance of saving my sister?" Hanabi asked as a tear rolled from her eyes.

Tsunade closed her eyes and took a deep breath before anything else. "I am sorry… but she wouldn't last after tomorrow night."

"NO! My daughter… she will be saved. Tell me she will be saved!" Haruka screamed and she tried to free herself from Hiashi's grasp to beg Tsunade, but her husband's embrace was too tight. "No… Hinata… Hinata… you will be fine, my daughter. You will not die! Mother is here… mother is here so stay strong… you will be saved! You will be saved!"

Tsunade turned the hands on her lap into fists. "I am very sorry. I will not be able to do anything to save or prolong Hinata'sa life." She said in her saddest voice as she bowed one last time. "I will be back tomorrow to check on her again… Farewell." She stood up from the Zabuton and left the Hyuga Family accompanied by Shizune.

When she was outside the room, she saw the Head Priestess's apprentice, Shinra. The young priestess bowed down to the Hokage before entering Hinata's room. Then the both of them had an eye contact, Tsunade nodded at her and then the priestess entered the room to check on the heiress.

"Tsunade-sama... Are you sure about this?" Shizune asked in a low voice.

"Of course, Shizune. I am always certain with my decisions. Now, let's go. We have lots to accomplish." Tsunade said and then walked at the hallways. Shizune quickly followed her master.

.

.

.

When Shinra entered the room, she had seen the worst atmosphere. Haruka was crying beside on the side of her daughter's futon as well as Hanabi, Hiashi was trying to support his wife and daughter the best he could and there laid Hinata, struggling with the seal draining her energy. Shinra never felt such a strong aura in her life, it was the same aura she felt in the forest. She knew it was from the Head Shaman… the one who killed her master.

"Shinra-neesan? You're here! Otou-sama, okaa-sama! Shinra-neesan is here! Nee-chan is saved!" Hanabi said.

Shinra looked at the young girl. She could also feel Masayo's energy flowing inside Hanabi. Wait… not only in Hanabi, but also from the servants of the household. Most of them had Masayo's aura. But, compared to Hanabi, it was weaker. It's like Hanabi and Masayo's life were connected to each other.

"Shinra. Where is the head priestess? We need her to cure Hinata at once!" Hiashi said.

Shinra knelt down and bowed at them. "My deepest apology, Hiashi-sama, Haruka-sama, Hanabi-sama…" she paused and took a deep breath before anything else. When she was ready, she spoke the words, "The Head Priestess is not with me… She would not be able to attend for Hinata-sama anymore."

"Wha…what are you saying?" Haruka spoke in a hoarse voice, "Please, we need your help… I know that the head priestess can heal my daughter… please…"

"The Head Priestess is dead."

This stunned the three Hyugas. Three heads all turned towards her.

"What do you mean? How could that be?" Hiashi asked.

"The Head Priestess… went to where she found Masayo and Domon. She fought them but… they were too strong for her. She died this afternoon…" Shinra explained briefly.

"Oh, God… why did this have to happen…? Why did Masayo have to come back…? Why can't she leave us alone?" Haruka sobbed. "How… how can we save our daughter…? I don't know what I'd do if she dies… I can't take it…"

Shinra bowed her head lower. "I am very sorry…"

"Please, stop saying that. Don't be sorry… No one should be sorry… My daughter will live… She will be saved so stop saying sorry!" Haruka yelled. "Hinata will live! I will not let her die… She will live a longer life than me…" she went close to Hinata and held her daughter's hand tightly.

Shinra chose to remain silent. All they could hear were Haruka's sobs and Hinata's heavy breathing as she slept. She knew that the heiress was trying her best to fight the curse… but it was useless. Nothing could stop the seal from absorbing her soul.

_Hang in there, Hinata-sama… Your sufferings would soon end._

* * *

A new day has come. Today was supposed to be Sasuke and Hinata's wedding… but due to what happened yesterday, the wedding was canceled. Hinata was still on her bed, fighting for her life. But as it went longer, things got worse. They could all clearly see that life was slowly leaving her body. She was very pale as if there were no blood in her body at all. The brightness of her skin, and the light she usually wore on her face… it was all gone.

Sasuke looked down at the sleeping heiress. He felt very bad seeing her like this. He felt so mad at himself that he wasn't able to go to her when she needed his help most. He wasn't able to protect her from that shaman. He wasn't able to do anything to help her and prevent her from going through this pain.

"My daughter… she was such a good girl." Haruka spoke, "She obeyed everything we said and we didn't hear any complaints about how the elders treated her. She always thought what was best for the clan… and she was willing to sacrifice everything in order just to be useful to us." She paused and then placed a hand on top of Hinata's forehead. "She agreed with the engagement… she chose to sacrifice her own freedom just for your clan and our clan. She may not look like it… but she is very strong."

Sasuke agreed with that. Right from the moment he held her in his arms, he knew that she has been suffering so much for her family. But she could still smile after all that. He knew that she was very strong to be able to bear the pain.

"All I wanted was to make her happy… All I wanted was to… free her from her cruel destiny. I wanted to take away all her pain but… I wasn't able to do anything to protect her. Right from the very start… I wasn't able to protect her from Masayo." Haruka said.

"May I ask… who is this Masayo? Why is she after… Hinata's life?" Sasuke asked.

Haruka stopped breathing for a moment. That's right. They still weren't able to tell Sasuke about Hinata's story. About Masayo… about the family's sin… and about the curse. But, Haruka couldn't possibly tell it to Sasuke right now.

Hiashi then came inside the room. Tsunade was with him.

"Hokage-sama, I leave Hinata to you." Hiashi said.

Tsunade nodded as she entered. Sasuke and Haruka both bowed at her.

"Sasuke. Come with me. We need to talk." Hiashi said and then walked away. Sasuke soon followed him as he heard the Hyuga Head's command.

…

When both Sasuke and Hiashi were seated at the room next to Hinata's, Hiashi didn't hesitate to get to the point straightly. He looked directly at the boy's black eyes. "I am here to tell you everything about Hinata." He started.

Sasuke straightened himself and paid attention to the Hyuga Head. He's been waiting for this… there were too many mysteries surrounding the heiress, and it was time for him to find it all out.

"Back during the second world shinobi war, the Hyuga clan was tasked to eliminate the root of Shamanism, the Kurogami clan. I was assigned to be on that mission… and that's when I met Masayo and Domon. I hid my real identity and the fact that we are to eliminate them all. I got into the bottom of their clan and discovered their deepest secrets; and that's how we found out how to eliminate them. We succeed with our mission as the Second World War ended… but Masayo didn't easily give up.

She cursed my unborn daughter inside my wife's womb. She said that in the night of December 27th, the firstborn of the Hyuga clan will carry all the sin of our clan committed in her soul. Once my daughter is born, she will die and her soul will forever be trapped in Masayo's hands. But, with the help of Maeko, she was able to put a curse on Masayo also. That curse attempted to kill the Shaman and eliminate her for good… but Maeko wasn't able to completely save Hinata from the seal. Maeko was only able to weaken the seal's power so Hinata lived when she came out of Haruka's womb.

As the years passed by, she was well. Maeko has been coming to see her every year to check on her state… it was good for few years, but when she turned five, everything changed. That's when it was clear that Hinata isn't capable of wielding the Byakugan or becoming the next leader of the Hyuga clan. When the elders found out about this, they wanted to throw my daughter away. They wanted us to disown her for she bears a huge karma to our family… and I know that my daughter's life has been very miserable ever since she was born…

But, Maeko once said that there was a certain young man who can save her life. There were two young man willing to protect her. The one who can truly save her from her cruel fate, and the other one will be used to kill her. It was just several months ago when Maeko found out who will be able to save my daughter. And it was you, Uchiha Sasuke. That's the reason why I agreed with the elders' decision of your engagement. It was not only because we wanted a Hyuga-Uchiha heir… but it is also I wanted to save my daughter… I want her sufferings to stop. That's why when she met you, I was relieved… because I thought that everything would be fine for her. I thought that her pain would soon end… because you finally came to her life.

Sasuke looked down. _But it didn't. _

"Maybe… it really is the time for our clan to pay the price. Maybe it really is time for me… to pay for my sins." Hiashi lowered his head as he shut his eyes.

Much to Sasuke surprise, he saw a tear drop stream down Hiashi's face.

"But… why did it have to be her? She… she was just a child and she didn't have anything to do about my past and my sins. Why did she have to go all through this? Of all people, why her? Why can't it be me?" Hiashi sobbed.

"Why didn't I think of that Masayo would be back to have her revenge? Why wasn't I able to predict all of this? I failed my daughters… I failed my wife… and most of all… I failed my clan. Now, I won't be able to do anything to attack Masayo because she has the life of my clan members and she has Hanabi's life connected to her! In one snap of a finger, she could massacre my whole clan… and on top of all… she would have Hinata's soul." He slammed his hands on his thighs, "I'm a failure… I'm a failure as a clan head, as a husband… and as a father!"

This was the very first time Sasuke saw Hiashi break down. The clan head was always calm, composed, stern and emotionless. He was like a stone that Sasuke once thought that he never cared for his daughter at all.

Now, everything was clear… Sasuke was completely wrong about Hyuga Hiashi.

* * *

Time was passing by very fast. It was already early afternoon, and Haruka had not left Hinata's side since the maiden was delivered in her room yesterday. She was not yet even eating or drinking anything. She was beside her daughter all day and all night long like an insane lady… she whispered that 'she will be always there for her no matter what happens and that she will not let her die' every time she heard her daughter moan in pain.

"Hinata… do not leave mother alone, all right? If you did… I won't be able to forgive myself…" Haruka whispered as she stroke Hinata's smooth pale face.

Tsunade looked at the mother and daughter. Deep inside, she felt very sad that her heart was panging in her chest painfully. A loving mother and a sweet child… she couldn't believe that fate could be so cruel that it would even cross the line to separate them from one another. Haruka cared so much for Hinata, and Hinata loved her mother back deeply. But… why? Why does fate have to be hard on them?

All of a sudden, they heard a very weak angelic voice.

"Mother…"

Tsunade and Haruka immediately turned towards her with their eyes wide open.

"Hi…Hinata? My daughter…? You're awake?"

Slowly, pale Hyuga eyes opened. Hinata saw her mother's exhausted face and a lady whom she has never seen before.

"Who… is she… mother?" she asked weakly.

Tears flowed down from Haruka's eyes again as she stroked her daughter's hair tenderly. "She is our new Hokage, my dear. She is Tsunade-sama."

"Tsu… nade-sama…"

Tsunade smiled at her warmly.

A faint smile formed on Hinata's pale lips. "I… can hardly… believe it… I was able to… personally see our village's… Hokage." She said. "I'm so… happy."

"You're such a kind, girl… Hinata." Tsunade said.

"Thank you… very much." The maiden replied and then turned to her mother. "Mother… may I… request something…?"

"Sure, my child. Anything you want." Haruka said.

"May I have… a special paper… an ink… and a pen? I… wanted to… write someone a letter…" Hinata said.

"A letter?" Haruka asked.

Hinata nodded weakly. "Yes… mother… a letter of apology." She answered.

Haruka had a bad feeling about this. But, no. She didn't want to think of that.

"All right… I will ask a servant to find you the most beautiful paper, pen and ink. Just wait." She said and then walked across the room to the shogi door. Before she went out, she gave Tsunade a look. "I leave her to your care first, Hokage-sama." She said.

Tsunade nodded.

…

After a moment, Haruka was back. She had a servant bring a pen, an ink and a well designed paper for Hinata. The servant settled the items beside Hinata's futon and then was dismissed when she was done with her job.

When Hinata saw the things she wanted, she mustered all the strength left in her body to sit up on her futon. Tsunade and Haruka quickly acted to support her.

Hinata's actions definitely surprised Tsunade. Even in that pain, the maiden was still able to move. It was unbelievable.

Hinata slowly got out from her bed and went to the pen and paper. She slowly reached out for the pen with her shaky hands and dipped it to the black ink. She tried her best to endure the pain… She tried her best to be able to write her letter of apology. She knew herself that she wouldn't last very long, so she didn't want to waste more time.

With all the strength remaining in her body, she wanted to finish the first and last letter she will be able to write to the person whom she loved most.

Her letter of love and apology to Uzumaki Naruto.

* * *

The full moon shined brightly in the cloudless sky. A gentle breeze flew by in the village, and it was usually peaceful for all the villagers. It was an ordinary quiet day in the hospital… until a certain ninja woke up.

"Let go of me! I need to get out of here, dattebayo! I need to see her!" Naruto shouted as he tried to get away from the nurses' grasps. He was back to his orange tracksuit, prepared to leave the hospital for good. He's been asleep for a day because of the damages he gained, but due to the Nine Tails' powers again, he was good as new.

"You still need to stay in bed, Uzumaki-san! That's what the doctor said!" a nurse exclaimed.

"We still need to examine your nerves! Your whole body took a lot of electrical damage!" the other one said.

"I'm fine already! I don't have time to waste in here! I need to get out of here, now!" Naruto shouted on top of his lungs. "Let me go!"

"You better let go of him, now." A deep voice suddenly came. It came from a silver-haired man with a mask. "I will make sure that he won't do anything foolish."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto's face brightened up when he saw his teacher. "You hear that? Now, let me go!" he said to the nurses.

"But, we were ordered to look after him. I'm sorry, but we can't do that." A nurse said to Kakashi.

"Oh, don't worry. I have the Hokage's permission." Kakashi said.

"See? See? He has baa-chan's permission! So let me go! I don't have time to waste in this freaky place!" Naruto was then successful of getting out of the nurses' grasp. And once he did, he swiftly jumped out of the nearby window and ran as fast as he could to get to the Hyuga compound.

Kakashi soon followed him.

It was an unusual night in the Hyuga compound. Hiashi, Haruka, Hanabi, Neji, Tsunade and Sasuke were all inside Hinata's room, watching her… and praying for her. The seal on her forehead was glowing in its brightest form as Hinata was lying on the futon, completely exhausted with her struggle with the curse. It was completely written in her face that she was weak, tired and has no more strength to fight for her life.

They all knew to themselves that… it was over for her.

But of course, they couldn't accept that. They all wanted her to live. They all wanted her to get through this.

Hinata opened her eyes to look for her father. "Father…?" she said in a very weak voice.

"I am here, Hinata. Father is here." Hiashi replied immediately as he kissed the back of her hand and held back his tears.

"Is… it all right for father… to hold me in his arms…?" Hinata said, tears started forming in her lifeless eyes.

Her request broke the hearts of everyone in the room. They all held back tears, but Hanabi and Haruka couldn't take it anymore.

"Of course… It's all right." Hiashi then leaned forward to Hinata and picked the fragile maiden to his arms. She felt light as a feather and he tried to be as gentle as he can be in order not to hurt her.

A sigh of relief came out of Hinata as she felt her father's warm arms wrap around her. "It's very warm…" she said in a soothing voice, "I've… always wanted to feel father's arms… All my life… I… wanted father… to recognize me… and be proud of me… and accept me as a daughter…"

"Hinata-sama…" Neji whispered to himself.

"I'm sorry… I wasn't able… to become… the daughter you wanted me… to be…" Hinata said, "I… was weak… I didn't excel on my training… I… couldn't wield the Byakugan… I couldn't be a ninja… and on top of all… I couldn't be an heiress… I apologize for all of that, father." She then looked up directly to her father's eyes. His ever stern eyes and usual cold stares… were gone. Instead, they were replaced by tears and painful ones. This was the very first time Hinata had seen her father wear such a hurt expression. He was always emotionless and he knew how to handle his feelings, but now, her father was very different.

"I should be the one… who should be apologizing to you, Hinata." Hiashi said. "It's because of me… why you're suffering. I wasn't able to protect you… I was the one who made your life miserable. It was all my fault why you have to go through this. All my life, I thought I was doing everything right for you. But, I was wrong… instead, I made you suffer." He paused. "I failed as your father…"

Hinata shook her head. "No… father… please, do not blame yourself… or anyone for what has happened to me. I will feel really bad…" she said. "I… I was still able to… live my life happily. I really am thankful that… God gave me a caring mother… a loving sister… and a strong father… I am… very blessed to have all of you… as my family. I never regretted to be in this noble clan…" tears then fell down to her face as she blinked.

"Please, sister… do not speak like that… y-you're making me really nervous." Hanabi said as she sniffed.

"Hanabi-chan… please, do not cry… when I see you cry… it breaks my heart…" Hinata said. "Promise me that… you will take care of mother… and father… and I know that… you will be a very strong ninja someday... continue doing your best, I know… you will be successful."

Hanabi lowered her face as she cried softly. "Yes… sister… I promise."

Hinata then smiled and looked around the room. She st arted with her father, mother, sister, cousin, the Hokage and lastly… her gaze fell to Sasuke.

"Even if… I was given a short time… I had no regrets with my life. I was able to meet other people… who cared so much about me. Knowing that I'm important to them… I'm already contented. Because… I thought that… no one would… ever love someone like me. I was weak… a failure… and a burden. But still… someone still loved me… for who I am… and that made me really happy." She said. "Sasuke-san… I'm sorry that… our wedding was canceled… I'm sorry that… I could still not love you…I'm sorry that I gave my love to somebody else… I… I hope you could forgive me…"

Sasuke didn't reply. He just looked at her emotionlessly. But it could be clearly seen that he was trying his best to control his emotions.

"I… want to thank all of you… for staying with me until the very end…Please, do not blame Naruto-kun for this… please, do not blame anyone for all what happened to me…" Hinata sobbed. "I…I still wanted to live… but I accept my destiny. Please, be well… take care of yourselves and live your life to the fullest."

She smiled at them one last time and with all the strength left in her body, she spoke her last words.

"I'm glad… that God gave me a chance… to live my life… with all of… you…"

After that, her eyes slowly shut and her pale hand fell down to her side lifelessly. The upward and downward movement of her chest stopped as the glow of the seal on her forehead faded away. She stopped moving… and life left her body.

"Hinata?" Hiashi spoke her name, but she didn't respond. His eyes widened as tears now flowed down his cheeks. "Hinata? Hinata!" he called her once again, but she still didn't respond.

"Hinata…? My daughter… why won't you speak…? W-We're still here." Haruka touched her daughter's face. "Hinata… please, open your eyes… don't sleep…"

"Nee-chan! I cooked dinner! So wake up!" Hanabi yelled.

But, still… no response came from the heiress.

"Tsunade-sama!" Hiashi called for the Hokage.

Tsunade came close to Hinata to feel her pulse… but she couldn't feel anything from the maiden's wrist anymore. The first lady Hokage just shook her head and bowed at the family.

"No… NO! Hinata! My daughter! This can't happen!" Haruka yelled on top of her lungs. "My eldest daughter… no… nooooooooo!"

Hiashi held his lifeless daughter in his arms tightly. "Hinata… Hinata… my beloved daughter…" his moans now turned into sobs. He felt so mad at himself… his daughter's wish was to feel a father's warm hug. But all these years, for so many chances he had… he didn't give it to her. Now, she was gone… no matter how much he embraces her, she would not feel anything anymore.

Everyone in the room mourned for the heiress.

Hanabi's face was buried on her palms as she cried, Hiashi and Haruka kept their arms wrapped around their lifeless daughter, Neji lowered his head and gritted his teeth as river of tears flowed from his Hyuga eyes, and Sasuke… Sasuke was staring at Hinata.

He was staring at his fiancé… at his lifeless fiancé. She was his hope to restore his entire clan. She was the new light that came to his life. She was the girl… whom he dearly loved with all his heart even if he knew that only hatred remained in him. Still, he loved her.

Tears rolled down the Uchiha's pale cheeks. He didn't move from his spot… he just stared numbly at his beloved.

She was gone.

The girl whom he loved was gone.

Hyuga Hinata… was dead.

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:**

****ah~~ I can feel the Spirit of Christmas. ^^ *gets shot*

Oh boy... this is going to be a looooooong story.

**VOCABULARY**

**Kieru- vanish**


	12. Chapter 12: Saved Soul

**a/n:  
**

****wheeee. Minna-sama... honto ni.. arigatou gozaimashita! 100 plus reviews already? WAAAAH! I'M SO HAPPY! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! TT^TT

Before I get on with the story, if you were wodering... Maeko is above 50 years old as well as Masayo and Domon. Masayo and Domon just look young because of their forbidden magic. :) Shinra and Riika are both 18. ^^

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Saved Soul**

Naruto was running as fast as he could to reach the Hyuga compound. He didn't care if his body was still not in the right condition to move; all he cared about was to get to Hinata as soon as possible. He was grateful earlier for having Kakashi convince the nurses to let him out this night. It was Tsunade's orders? Well, he would thank his sensei and the old lady after he meets with Hinata.

Just another turn, then he would reach the Hyuga compound.

_Huff. Huff. Huff._

"Hinata… wait for me." He said under his breath.

When he got to see the Hyuga Compound from afar, Hyuga members were scattered all around guarding the household. There was also a guard in duty at the secret passage, but he didn't care. He continued running towards the front gate and the guards expectedly stopped him.

"You cannot pass beyond this point." The Hyuga said.

"Get out of my way… I need to see Hinata!" Naruto still forced himself in, but more guards came to prevent him.

Two Hyuga guards took him in each arm. "The Hyuga head said that anyone is not allowed to go inside. If you will not leave, then we have to use force, kid."

Naruto was not a quitter. Everyone knows that. He struggled to get away from his captors' grasps and shouted at them. "Let me go! I need to see her now! I have to know how she's doing! Just let me see Hinata!"

"You're one persistent kid—" the guard said and they began dragging Naruto away from the compound. "Hinata-sama is already—"

"Enough of that. Let him go." Kakashi placed a hand on the Hyuga guard's shoulder to stop him. "The Hokage demanded for his presence. He has permission to enter."

The guards looked at Kakashi. "But we have not heard any of it from Hiashi-sama."

"Let the kid go. I am allowing him to get inside." Hiashi, accompanied by the Fifth Hokage, then came to end everything.

Upon hearing the Hyuga Head's orders, the guards immediately took their hands off Naruto and bowed at their leader for apology.

When Naruto was free from his captors, he didn't waste the chance to go to Hiashi and Tsunade at once. The boy looked up at the adults… and he noticed that Hinata's father looked very exhausted and stressed out. His keen Hyuga eyes—they were red and sad. Those eyes looked at him with nothingness. Before he could even ask the heiress's father a question, the leader turned away from him without saying a single word. He was left with Tsunade.

Of course, Hiashi would be stressed-out after what happened to his daughter yesterday. And, what was Tsunade doing here at this time?

"Baa-chan." Naruto spoke with obvious weariness. "How is Hinata? Did you cure her?" he added with his eyes full of hope.

Tsunade hated to see Naruto's eyes. She again wore her porcelain mask to hide her true emotions. Before answering him, she took an envelope from her pouch and handed it to Naruto. "She wanted to give this to you." She said.

Naruto accepted it with shaky hands, and he read what's written on the envelope. It said, "To Naruto-kun". He knew to himself that it was Hinata's handwriting… it was so clean, formal and excellent compared to his. But it could be clearly seen that she wrote with very weak hands.

"Naruto…" Tsunade spoke with full composure in her voice.

Naruto listened.

"Hyuga Hinata… did not make it. She died thirty minutes ago."

Naruto's blue eyes widened, his mind went blank, his whole body felt numb, and his throat went dry. His world and everything in him stopped spinning.

Tsunade clenched her fists tightly on her sides. She was trying hard not to show any emotions in front of the genin… she tried her best not to show the pain that she was also experiencing. Naruto was like her younger brother; not only he looks like him, he also has the same attitude. The determination, the ninja way… and the dream of being a Hokage. Naruto and Nawaki were very much the same. And ever since Tsunade had met Naruto, the loneliness of losing Dan and Nawaki was slowly fading away. She admits it, Naruto was preciously important to her.

And she could completely feel that the girl was very dear to him.

Even though they do not know who they really are in their own lives, the two were still connected by fate.

"No… That can't happen… you're joking, Baa-chan. Stop messing with me. It's not funny!" Naruto managed to say, his face covered with fear.

Tsunade just lowered her head and closed her eyes. "Her room is at the left-most-corner… Hiashi-sama gave you the permission to see her one last time."

"I don't believe you. Hinata is not dead… she can't be dead." Naruto said and then ran past Tsunade to go to where Hinata was.

All what Tsunade could do was watch Naruto… It might be hard, but fate would still bind the two of them.

* * *

Naruto ran through the corridors, the letter tightly secured in one of his hands, and heart accelerating rapidly.

_Baa-chan is wrong. Hinata can't be dead… She's alive. I know she's alive!_

Naruto thought to himself as he ran, and when he made another turn, he saw Neji and Hanabi walking together at the other hallway. He stopped for a moment in front of them and the two looked very surprised seeing him.

"N-Naruto-ni-san…" Hanabi said in a hoarse voice.

The blond-haired ninja looked at them back-and-forth. "How is Hinata?" he asked them, hoping to get a different answer from Tsunade.

But the two relatives looked down in their saddest expression. Tears threatened to fall down from Hanabi's eyes again, and when Neji felt his cousin about to break down, he held her in his arms supportively.

"Why are you crying, Hanabi? Hinata… Hinata is all right, isn't she? Y-You don't have to cry." Naruto said.

Hanabi shook her head as she began wiping her tears with her small hands. "My sister…" _sob. _"My sister…" _sob._

Neji stopped Hanabi for saying anything else; He knew that it would just hurt her more. So, he would do the job for her. "Naruto… Hinata-sama did not make it. She's in her room with Haruka-sama…" he said.

Naruto shook her head. "No… that's not true. It can't be true, dattebayo!" he ran pass them and into the corridors again. He will still not believe it… he could feel that she's still alive. He believes that Hinata is not dead. He will not believe what they were saying.

He made another turn, and not aware of his next path, he bumped into somebody. Both of them nearly lost their balance but somewhat maintained it. When Naruto's sight returned to normal, the person he bumped into registered in his mind.

He was the person whom he saw last before he passed out.

Those black eyes, raven hair and blue shirt he hated…

It was Sasuke.

Why was Uchiha Sasuke here? How is he related to the Hyugas? And, if Naruto could remember it correctly, Sasuke also shouted Hinata's name when he arrived with Neji. How does Sasuke know Hinata?

Sasuke just stood there and silently glared at Naruto. His hands slowly turning into fists and became tightly clenched on his sides.

Naruto didn't have time to waste. He wanted to stay and ask what Sasuke was doing here at this kind of time, but he has to get to Hinata first. Without saying a word, Naruto resumed to his running and got pass Sasuke.

Sasuke didn't do anything to stop his teammate. He didn't even turn around to trail his rival with his eyes. He just stood there… stopping himself for letting out his feelings. He wanted to talk to Naruto… but he guessed he could let him see her first. After all, _he_ was the one whom _she_ truly _loved_. Not him.

After few more turns, Naruto finally reached the door of Hinata's room. He could clearly hear someone sobbing inside the room, and those sobs scared him. He reached for the handle of the shoji door, but he hesitated first. He was scared of what he would see behind this door. But… he had to see her. No matter what lies inside, he had to bravely face her. With full determination, he slid the shoji door open…

He first saw a faint light inside the room. He saw a figure next to the futon, who was the source of the sobs. And then his eyes finally traveled last to the figure that was laid on the futon.

That was it. Terror rapidly built up in his body.

When the sobbing figure noticed his presence, she brought her head up to meet the visitor. Hyuga Haruka's eyes were full of tears when she first laid eyes on the boy whom her daughter offered her love. She tried her best to stop crying, but couldn't.

"You are… Uzumaki Naruto?" she asked with a weak voice.

Naruto was not able to give her answers. His full attention was devoted to the girl sleeping on the futon, and not making any noises. He slowly walked inside the room and when he was near enough to Hinata, he knelt beside her. He looked at her face… the glow and light which he dearly loved were gone.

_No._

He slowly reached for her hand and held it between his palms. It was cold. The warmth of her hands which he loved very much was also gone.

_No_.

"Hinata… I'm here." Naruto said in a soft, gentle voice as he squeezed her hands tenderly.

He waited for her to open her eyes… He waited for her to speak his name again… he wanted for her to show him that she could feel his presence… nothing happened.

_No._

Tears formed in his blue eyes and streamed down on his face uncontrollably. He couldn't feel any warmth left in her body anymore. She was not breathing and she was not answering him anymore. She was just there… lying on her bed, not producing any sounds to assure them that she was still all right.

"Hinata… You can't do this. Please, you have to wake up." Naruto said. "I'm already here. Come on, open your eyes… You can't die. Hinata… you can't die."

Still, he didn't hear anything from the maiden.

His soft moans began turning into sobs. He lowered his head and shut his eyes tightly as he gritted his teeth. "No! No… NO!" he shouted with pure pain in his voice, "Hinata… Hinata… I'm sorry… I'm not strong enough—to protect you—sorry… I'm very sorry, Hinata… I couldn't protect you well…" he said in between of his cries.

He didn't want to believe what Tsunade and Neji said earlier… He hated to admit it but… they were right. She was dead. She didn't make it.

And it was all his fault.

If he were just strong enough… If he could just protect her well… If he just didn't force to take her there… If he just stayed away from her…

None of this would have happened.

"I'm sorry… Hinata… If-If I just listened to you… then—then you'd still be… alive."

The pain in his chest was beyond any of his sufferings. All the loneliness he had faced when he was a kid, all the pain he experienced for being a junchuuriki were nothing compared to losing the girl he loved with all his life. She was his inspiration, happiness, light and hope. He became more determined to chase after his dreams… when times he felt very down, he just thought of her, and he would regain his courage. Because of her, he had learned to live a better life.

But now, that girl was all gone.

He would not see her bright smiles anymore.

He would not hear her sweet voice calling out his name anymore.

"Naruto-san… please, do not blame yourself for what happened." Haruka said, "Hinata wouldn't be happy hearing that… My daughter loved you very much. She does not want to blame anyone for her death… and our family… will live on with her wish." She paused, "We should be the one… to apologize to you, Naruto-san… It is because of us… We were the reason why Hinata had to go through this. It is our fault… why Hinata was taken away from all of us. It is our fault why you two had to be separated from each other."

Haruka then bowed in front of Naruto.

"I sincerely apologize to the both of you… Naruto-san."

Naruto didn't lift his head up. He kept his head low as he clutched her hand and her letter near his chest. He didn't want to let her go… He wanted to think that if he held her hand, she would be brought back to life. But, who was he kidding? Tsunade wasn't able to heal her… what more if it was him?

"That… is the last letter my daughter has made. It is for you… only for you." Haruka said between her sobs, "She made it this afternoon—and she said she wanted to use the most beautiful pen and paper to make it for you… She used all the strength left in her body… just to finish that letter."

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head up. He opened the letter with his trembling hands, still he did not let go of her pale cold hand. And he began reading with his eyes.

_Dear Naruto-kun,_

_Naruto-kun... I want to thank you for all the happiness you have brought to my life. Thank you very much because I was able to meet someone like you. You are brave, determined, strong and a true friend… I couldn't imagine my life if I had not met you. You changed everything in me. When I was young, I was always scared and I had no confidence in myself, but because of you I was able to acknowledge myself a little more. Even if everyone in my family despised me because I was useless, I was able to overcome that pain because you came in my life. _

_Even a failure like me… was able to live a happy life._

_It's all thanks to you, Naruto-kun._

_I want to apologize because I couldn't be with you anymore. I will not be able to hear your incredible stories, listen to your hilarious jokes and be there to support you with your dreams. I could feel that… you will be very mad at yourself because you were not able to protect me from the Shaman. But, please… do not blame yourself. No one is to blame of what happened to me. You don't have to blame yourself because of my death. That would make me really sad._

_You don't have to worry about me anymore. I am in a better place now… From now on, I will be watching you from above. I know that you will be able to make your dreams come true. I know that you will become a very strong ninja. Naruto-kun is a proud failure. You learn from your mistakes… you fall down and rise again with your own feet. You have the strength to walk on your own again whenever you fail… and I believe that's what true strength is. I could clearly see it in Naruto-kun. That's why I will not stop believing in you… even if I'm not with Naruto-kun anymore… I will continue believing that you will make your dreams come true. _

_I have no regrets with my life… because I was able to meet you. I will never regret loving you with all my heart. Just remember… wherever you are… I will always love you._

_Farewell, my love._

_-Hinata_

Naruto's trembles became stronger. The tears in his eyes flowed like a river streaming down his face, and several droplets marked the letter.

The characters of the words in her letter… they were all well-written. She had a very neat handwriting despite her body's condition.

"Hinata… my Hinata finished this letter… even in that pain." Naruto whispered, "With her weak hands… she still managed to do this for me." He slowly went closer to her and pulled her to his arms. He began stroking her smooth face gently with the back of his hand.

"Hinata…" he said in the softest volume of his voice.

Naruto hugged her limp body to his chest.

"I love you…" he whispered crestfallenly to her and he buried his face to her black hair desperately.

After all his hard work on his training with Jiraiya…

In the end, he still failed. He wasn't able to keep his promise to her.

He wasn't able to do anything to prevent her from suffering.

He wasn't able to do anything to protect the person he loved the most.

* * *

Later on that night, Naruto finally decided to leave Hinata's room. He couldn't stand seeing her lying there lifelessly anymore… even if she told him not to blame himself, he could still not help but feel torn apart when he'd think that her eyes were already close and her beautiful face rested into a peaceful expression.

He walked down the porch steps numbly as he held the letter in his hand tightly. Before he knew it, his feet dragged him to where he and Hinata usually see each other.

At the Koi pond.

But, much to his surprise, he was not the only one in the place.

He came face to face with his rival.

"Sasuke…" he said in a low voice.

Blue eyes met with dark orbs.

Both of them stood there for a moment, silently glaring at each other. Both of their eyes were obviously worn out from crying… they were red and few tears can still be seen at the corners of their orbs.

Naruto had never seen Sasuke glare at him like this. They always glared at each other whenever they fought about things—but compared to those glares, this one was completely different. There was so much pain and madness written on those hawk-like eyes.

"Now, everything is clear to you, isn't it?" Sasuke began.

Naruto's eye brows furrowed. Completely caught in perplexity.

Sasuke sometimes couldn't stand his teammate's denseness. Seriously, can he still not get it?

"All my life, I treated you as my greatest rival. In strength, in techniques, in being a ninja… in everything. But even in her? We still cared for the same girl… we wanted to protect the same girl."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Don't tell me… you are…"

"Finally. You got it. Hyuga Hinata is my fiancée." Sasuke paused and clenched his fists. "We… we were supposed to get married today. My clan was supposed to be resurrected soon because of her help. She was my hope… to revive the Uchiha clan. But, none of those would happen anymore. She's already dead."

Naruto was too stunned to react. He just stood there… with his eyes all wide. He could hardly believe what was going on.

"She was my only hope… she was my fiancée. But, even after getting an arranged marriage… she still couldn't forget about you. I was the one she chose… but she still offered her whole heart to you. Not me. Even in her death, you were the one she still loved. Not me. The only reason why she agreed with the engagement… is because of her clan. Not because she had feelings for me." Sasuke said, "But, I didn't want to care about that. The reason why agreed with this is also because of my clan. But, that girl… I couldn't stop myself—I couldn't stop myself loving her. I wanted to make her mine—I wanted for her to love me back… I wanted to be righteous for her. Because next to my clan, she was the one who I learned to treasure."

Tears began rolling down from the Uchiha's keen eyes.

"Still… I lost her. I failed to protect her. I was the one who's supposed to protect her—not you. If I got there earlier, she wouldn't have died… because I'm her protector. Nothing will happen to her as long as I'm by her side. But, I failed… Because of her love for you, I failed."

"Sasuke—"

"I… have no more reasons to stay here in this village. The only reason that was stopping me to leave this village was her. Now, that she's dead… it's pointless to continue my life in this place. I will leave to search for power… when I'm stronger, I will kill Itachi and avenge my clan. After that, I will do everything to avenge Hinata's death to that shaman. If that's the last thing I do, then shall be it. I will never ever return to this village."

Naruto shook his head. Sure, Sasuke was his rival… but, he was still his best friend. Next to Hinata, he was the person he dearly cared about. Now that Hinata's gone, how could he live with Sasuke out of his life, too?

"No, Sasuke. You can't!"

"Why?!" Sasuke shouted. "Give me a good reason why I should stay in this village! My clan was massacred… my fiancée was killed… I didn't become a Chunin! Why should I still stay in this village now that the only reason I have to not leave is gone?! Why? Because of you, Sakura and Kakashi? Do you think, I can live on in this village when I see your face?" he paused, "Whenever I look at you… I can never forget Hinata's death."

"Sasuke…"

"That's why I'm going to leave. I can't stand seeing you… You annoy me very much. Your strength, determination, and everything. Now, Hinata's death. That's why in her next life… I'm not going to let her be yours. I will make sure that she will be mine, no matter what happens."

And then after that, Sasuke walked pass Naruto, leaving him behind at the Koi pond.

Sasuke promised to himself… he would make Hinata his.

* * *

Masayo's sharp narrow eyes went wide-open as she was reclining on her throne in the Shaman temple. Her servants and brother noticed her action quickly and mentally noted that the Head Shaman felt something about the sacrificed soul. Their eyes were all on her, waiting for her to tell them what they all wanted to hear.

The head shaman formed a confident smirk on her lips and she stood up. "It's done…" she began and went down the steps of her throne. "Her soul is absorbed by the seal! It's done! The Sacred Priestess is dead!"

When the servants heard her proclamation, they all celebrated and praised the Head Shaman.

"Is that true, my beloved sister? Is the Sacred Priestess… dead?" Domon asked.

Masayo gave her brother a look, "Yes. She is gone… and her soul is all mine." She said possessively.

"Then we shall start the ritual this night! The full moon would be in its greatest glow today and tomorrow." Domon said.

"There is no need to rush, my brother." Masayo said calmly. "We shall wait for her to be buried… I can predict that she will be buried tomorrow at the Silent Hill. I don't have to be a priestess to be able to see the future… for I know… the body of a dead priestess can attract many evil spirits so it has to be buried where the Moon will always shine so it could be protected…" she explained, "Tomorrow will be the last day of the full moon and the silent hill has the greatest spot for its moonlight. With the moonlight directly shining on the Sacred Priestess's grave, our ritual will be very easy for we can use the moon's power. I can get the seal off her body and obtain her soul… and we can finally revive the Great Shaman Elder!"

Domon and the other shamans seemed satisfied with her plans. "Indeed, a marvelous plan, Masayo-sama." He said.

"Everyone… be ready for tomorrow. We will begin the ritual on the night I get the seal from the Sacred Priestess. Just one more night… We just have to go through one more night… and the Great Elder will be resurrected!"

The fallen shamans cheered. Already claiming their victory.

"We will get our revenge… We will take back what's supposed to be ours a long time ago! The world! It is time for the Kurogami clan to rule the world! We Shamans are the strongest beings! We are superior and nothing can ever stop us!"

"YES!"

"Those who get in the way shall be killed! Those who disobey shall be punished! Those who oppose shall suffer!"

"YES!"

"They will all pay for what they have done to the KUROGAMI CLAN!"

The Shamans' follies were unstoppable. Their madness… their revenge. Now that the Sacred Priestess's soul would theirs… how could the rise of the Shamans be prevented?

* * *

_The next day._

This day was the saddest day for the Hyuga clan. This morning, it was time for the former heiress' funeral. The whole Hyuga clan assembled to take her body to the Silent Hill of Konoha, where her body would be buried.

Soon, her body was transported to the casket pasted with anti-evil spirit talismans. Her grave was dug at the highest area of the hill, where the moon would always shine on it. As her casket was being descended down to the bottom, Haruka never took her hands off the surface of Hinata's casket until she could still feel it under her palms. Hiashi had to hold on to her in order to prevent her from going down to continue reaching for Hinata's casket. Neji and Hanabi stood at the side of the grave, their eyes shut tightly as they cried. The Hyuga members mourned for the Heiress's death… both from Main Family and Branch Family, even the elders were present in her funeral. But not all of them wept for her in lost and sandess. Others were just wearing fake masks to cover their real emotions… they were just thinking that "The burden is gone! The disgrace of the Hyuga family is dead!", deep inside they were just celebrating her death. Others cried because they thought that they lost a very big treasure in the family. The maiden was about to marry the survivor of the Uchiha Clan, the Hyuga Clan would soon have an Uchiha-Hyuga successor. But, Hinata was dead… that power does not belong to them anymore.

There were only few who shed real tears for the poor Hyuga maiden. Only few sincerely mourned for her death.

Naruto just stood from afar, watching the clan conduct the funeral. He could hear their cries, but he could hear Hinata's mother's weeps the loudest of all. Tears streamed down his whiskered face as he clenched his fists. Even if Hinata kept on telling him not to blame himself… he was helpless. He was there to witness how that Shaman made her suffer. He let that Shaman do what she wants to Hinata. He was not able to protect her… he broke his promise to her. How could he not blame himself after all that?

The boy closed his eyes, teeth tightly gritted with each other.

He traveled into a deep part of his body… and he got to a dungeon. He stood small in front of a huge gate with a seal… behind the golden bars of the gate rested the strongest tailed beast, The Nine-Tails.

"Oi. Tailed monster…" Naruto spoke, his voice echoing throughout the empty spaces.

The Nine-Tails didn't open his eyes. He remained asleep behind the bars, ignoring his vessel but could hear his voice.

"I'm talking to you, Demon Fox! Wake up!" Naruto raised his voice.

Feeling a little bit annoyed, The Nine-Tailed fox open its big eyes and looked down at the small kid outside his cage. He growled sleepily, "What the hell do you want, kit?"

Naruto gallantly glared at the Great Demon Fox with his teary eyes. But fear was never written on his face.

"Why… why didn't you lend me your power during that time?" he said, "I needed your help… I needed to use your power… but WHY COULDN'T I USE YOU THAT TIME?!"

The Demon Fox didn't respond.

"I could have died that time… but you didn't give me your power. I thought that in times that my life is in danger… you will lend me your chakra! But, that's not really important… the important thing is, I would be able to save Hinata if you had just lent me your strength! Why didn't you do anything to help me…and to help her?! Why wasn't I u, to use your power?!"

"My power is only mine. I may be trapped inside you… but that doesn't mean that you are my master, kiddo." Kurama replied. "It is not my fault that the maiden you love most died. It is not my fault that you were not able to protect her. It is not my fault that you are not yet strong enough to use my power on your own! It is all your fault why you were not able to protect that maiden… you are not yet strong enough to protect her."

Naruto was silenced upon hearing that.

"You have to get stronger… stronger than ever to fulfill your duties. From now on… I will guide you with your training with Jiraiya. This is just the start, kit. You have so much to go through in your future and you have to be prepared of what lies in there. You shall not fail anymore. For the world, and for that girl."

Before Naruto could even ask what Kurama was talking about, he was forced out of the dungeon… and he forcibly returned to the outside world.

_'The time will come when I will be able to explain everything to you, kit.'_

…

Sasuke was standing from afar, careful not to be seen by anyone in the funeral. He looked at them… his eyes full of hatred and revenge. This was the last time that he'd ever set foot in this village… Tonight, he will leave Konoha with the Sound Four to take him to where Orochimaru would be. He promised to himself… He will get stronger than Naruto. He will avenge Hinata's death. He will kill that Shaman who killed Hinata. He will break the curse that Shaman casted on Hanabi. And in Hinata's next life… he will make Hinata his.

Taking one last glance at the site, Sasuke began walking down the hill.

Hinata will forever be in his heart. She will not be forgotten… Even if she was already dead, he will never stop loving her.

* * *

There was a comfortable silence in the middle of the night at the Konoha exit. There were no people around… just Uchiha Sasuke. He was taking his last stroll in the village for he has made a firm decision of leaving to go to Orochimaru. He didn't say goodbye to anyone; to Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi. Not a single word to anyone.

But… before he could peacefully leave the village, a pink-haired kunoichi came to get in his way.

"Sasuke-kun! Wait!"

Sasuke did not turn to look at the girl, but he halted on his steps. He could sense that Sakura was yards away from him and he hoped she doesn't get too close.

"Where are you going? Are you… are you going to leave the village? Are you going to that Orochimaru?" Sakura asked concernedly.

Sasuke just nodded silently.

Sakura felt a pang in her chest as she tried to hold back her tears. "Please, don't do this, Sasuke-kun. Don't abandon the village… I know that… I know that you're in lost because your fiancée died." The pain in Sakura's chest increased as she said that. It was just yesterday when she found out about Sasuke's marriage with Hyuga Hinata, and she was completely hurt by it. But when she heard that the maiden died due to some illness, she unexpectedly felt relieved.

"Please… don't leave. Don't go to Orochimaru…"

"Sakura. I'm an avenger. I need power to avenge my clan… I need power to avenge Hinata's death. And Orochimaru is the key to gain the power I need." Sasuke said, "You can't stop me. I already made up my mind."

Sakura couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears broke down from her bright green eyes. "No. Don't leave, Sasuke-kun. I don't know what I'd do without you. I admit… I still couldn't accept that you were about to get married to Hyuga Hinata-san. I do not know her well… and I only saw her once when Naruto saved her in the forest during the Invasion. But, now that she's gone… I had the confidence to chase after you again." She paused as she curled her hands on her chest, "I heard that she was the key to restoring your clan… she was your hope to revive the Uchiha clan. I-I can also be that person. I will do anything for you, Sasuke-kun. I can sacrifice myself for you… I can wait for a long time until you get over her… Just please, don't go."

"You don't understand anything, Sakura. Hinata is Hinata. She will never… be replaced." Sasuke said. "No matter what you say, you will not stop me anymore."

"But… I love you, Sasuke-kun! I-I was really happy that we were on the same team. I was doing everything I could to impress you… I was doing my best for you to acknowledge me, too! You were my inspiration. I wanted to get stronger because of you." Sakura's face was now drenched with her tears. "If… If I can't convince you to stay… then—then let me go with you. I will do everything to help you… I will do everything for you… just please, let me be with you."

Sasuke, now irritated by the kunoichi, turned to face her.

"You're annoying." He said coldly.

"If… If you won't stay or let me go with you… I-I'll scream. I'll tell the village about your departure!" She threatened. But, Sasuke suddenly disappeared in front of her. And before she knew it, the guy was right behind her.

There was a brief silence between them. The wind gently blew pass them, along with the graceful dancing of the leaves.

"_Arigato." _

Sasuke whispered to her softly and gently and then he knocked her out.

The girl fell down on Sasuke's arms, fully unconscious. He carried her to a nearby bench and settled her there. He took one last glance at the kunoichi and remained undeterred to leave the village. He began walking out of the village exit, mentally noting to himself.

He knew how much it hurt… for someone you dearly love to leave you. He and Sakura were just the same. They loved the person that didn't love them back. Like her, loving him. And him, loving Hinata.

And Hinata… loving Naruto.

* * *

The Shamans were all assembled on top of the temple, ready for their much awaited ritual. They were all in their traditional suits, surrounding a sealed casket in the middle. Tonight would be the night they would revive the Great Shaman Elder, the most powerful shaman of all. The Head Shaman, Masayo, would be the one to lead the ceremony.

Masayo stood by the sealed casket with her arms raised up to the night sky under the moonlight. She whispered ancient shaman spells to retrieve the seal she casted on the late Hyuga Heiress. After several moments of concentration, Masayo's whole body glowed and she was successful retrieving the seal. The seal which contained the soul of the Sacred Priestess and the Sin of her family.

"It's here… the seal is here." Masayo said as she chuckled evilly. "The Great Elder would be revived soon! And—"

But all of a sudden, Masayo's rejoice was stopped. Her joyful expression was replaced by dismay.

"Sister, what's wrong?" Domon asked swiftly.

Masayo began trembling. It took her some moments before she could utter a word. "Her soul… it's not here. The seal—no—the seal is empty!"

Everyone was shocked upon what she had stated.

"This cannot be! Her soul… Her soul was absorbed by this seal! Why is it empty?!" Masayo yelled. She flipped the table containing traditional items for the ritual to express her fury. She was about to use her dark magic, but Domon stopped her in time.

"Calm down, Masayo! Calm down!" Domon said firmly as he held her arms.

Masayo gritted her teeth as she demanded him to let her go. She shoved him away from her and checked the seal once more. Still, there were no changes.

The soul was not there.

"No! This cannot be! This is impossible!" Masayo shouted once again. And then, a horrible conclusion had entered her mind. "Could it be…" she said in a shaky voice. "Could it be… Hyuga Hinata is still alive?"

* * *

It was usually peaceful in the silent hill. The place wasn't for public viewing, only few are allowed to go in there. Usually, only monks, priestesses and chosen ninjas. Now, there were three people at the Hyuga heiress's grave.

The fifth Hokage, Shinra, and the Head Monk.

"We need to hurry up. Hinata-sama must be back at this time." Shinra said.

The head monk doubled his speed on digging down Hinata's casket. Tsunade served as their watch out if ever someone would come and see them.

After some moments, Ike was done digging and he had the sealed casket in his hands. He was hearing noises inside, knocking, tapping for the lid to open. He whispered some monk spells, and the talismans on the casket became useless. He then opened it quickly.

Tsunade and Shinra immediately went to him as he opened the casket.

And three pairs of eyes were welcomed by an undead Hyuga Hinata.

The heiress was breathing hard. Her eyes were partly opened as she tried to maintain her consciousness. But soon enough, her eyes shut close and she became unconscious.

Tsunade went close to the girl to check on her pulse. And much to her surprise, she felt it. Her heart was regularly beating along with her breathing. She couldn't believe it… it was just last night when she could not feel the maiden's pulse, now, she was alive. She was back from the dead. And Tsunade noticed something different with the girl.

The seal was not on Hinata's forehead anymore.

"The seal is gone. Maeko-sama's plan worked." Ike said. "Masayo must have thought that the seal absorbed the maiden's soul… she fell into our trap."

Shinra nodded. "We must get her away from here now before Masayo could suspect."

"I prepared a carriage down the hill. You will be escorted by our ANBUs. They will take you to the shore for a private ship, and from there, you are on your own. You are scheduled to leave tomorrow morning, I will come to see you off." Tsunade explained.

"I understand, Hokage-sama. We will be expecting for two more priestesses to come to accompany our journey. Thank you very much for your cooperation, Tsunade-sama." Shinra said.

"You must go now. I'll take care of things from here. Go." Tsunade said.

Ike lifted the fragile Hyuga maiden in his arms. "Thank you very much, Hokage-sama." He said and Tsunade nodded. He began walking down the hill with Shinra, to the carriage.

With Hyuga Hinata.

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:  
**

****yay! she's not dead! ^^ wohoooo! plus... Christmas Vacation is up! It's time to celebrate! I'm gonna be singing Christmas Carols again and attend masses. (I'm a total Jesus freak, for all you know) :)

Advance Merry Christmas to you all!

R&R please! Thank you~!

**VOCABULARY**

**Arigato- thank you**


	13. Chapter 13: Clash of Bonds

**a/n:  
**

****silent night~ holy night~ all is calm and all is bright...

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYBODY~!

I was about to post this on Christmas Eve but... hehe. I fell asleep right after 12 midnight. So, here it is! The last chapter of their childhood! This is my Christmas present to all of my faithful readers. :)))

Happy Holidays!

**DISCLAIMER: HOHOHO. I DO NOT OWN NARUTO-O-O.**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Clash of Bonds**

_Her body felt very light that she could not feel the gravity pulling down her body; she felt as light as feather. It was cold, quiet and peaceful… Her fair skin gave off a calm glow in the middle of the dark space. She heard no sound, she saw no nightmares and she felt no pain. It was over. Her sufferings were finally over. _

_When Hyuga Hinata opened her calm pale eyes, there was nothing she saw but darkness. Her whole body was floating in a place that she had never been before. She looked around in case she would find someone, but… she was alone. _

"_Where… am I?" she whispered to herself._

_She started to tremble in the coldness of the dark place. All she could do was embrace her arms and rub her hands against the thin white fabric that she was wearing. Now that she realized it, she was on her night gown. And little by little, everything that happened began coming back to her._

_The forest… her confession with Naruto… Naruto's real feelings… the engagement… the mysterious Shaman. _

_It all came back to her. _

_Upon remembering everything, she no longer wondered where she was. She knew to herself that she was taking her path to the dead souls. She was going to where she would see the God she had never lost faith in. She knew that she already left the world of the living. Her mother, her father, her sister, Naruto, Sasuke, her cousin and her clan… she had left them all._

_She was killed by that mysterious Shaman because of her family's sin. _

_Hinata closed her eyes. Maybe she was being dishonest with her family. She did tell them that she had no regrets… but now that she's dead, she just realized that there were two things that she regretted. First, she regretted that she could no longer be with Naruto… second, she regretted that she could not protect her clan from the Shaman. She never knew what the Head Shaman was talking about. The Sin of the Hyuga clan and the price that they had to pay for that horrible mistake… she was never able to know about it. In the end, she was just useless. And she hated herself for that._

"_You are wrong, Hinata-sama… very wrong."_

_Hinata's eyes shot open when she heard a voice that was very dear to her. All of a sudden, the person who looked after her and trained her for all these years was right in front of her._

"_Maeko-sama…" Hinata stated her name._

"_You are not yet dead, milady. You will never be under Masayo's hands." Maeko said._

_Hinata frowned at this. "W-what do you mean? And… why are you here? And what is this place?"_

"_This place is the path between life and death. You are not alive, but you are also not dead." Maeko began. "Someone had protected your life and your soul, that's why you are here. And Masayo will never be able to capture your soul as long as he is there."_

_Hinata looked more perplexed. _

"_You still have a lot to do, Hinata-sama. It is not your turn yet to cross this path behind me. You have an important mission to finish and failing is not an option. I know you are very confused of the events, but worry not. Someone will guide and protect you as you live on…" Maeko said. "It is not the right time yet to know who you really are… but eventually, you will find out. Time will be the one to tell and I believe that you and I shall meet each other again."_

"_Wait, Maeko-sama… you mean… you mean that I will be able to live again?" _

_Maeko nodded. _

"_But… what about you? Why are you here?"_

"_I could not be with you anymore, milady. I will not be the one to guide you in your new life… unlike you, I was killed by Masayo's brother and it is my time to take the path to the dead souls." Maeko explained. "I have not much time left…Please, you must bear in mind what I have to say."_

_Hinata listened._

"_No matter how hard the path you are about to take, remember… you will still be able to reach your right destination. Destiny maybe cruel… but it will still not abandon you. God will not abandon you, my child. You have to stay strong no matter what… because it is only you, who is blessed to save the world from a dark future."_

_Before Hinata could ask more questions, she suddenly felt her body getting back to her normal weight. Slowly, she was feeling a sense of being pulled down. _

"_Maeko-sama—"_

"_You must go, milady. Please, do not fail us. You are our only hope…" _

_Soon, Hinata felt the gravity pulling her down. She could do nothing to defy it anymore as she was getting farther from the floating Maeko. And she had entered a new place where there was no darkness. As her body was continuously pulled down, she had seen many mirrors which contained important fragments of her memories. _

_Her mother, her father, her sister, her cousin, Sasuke and Naruto… _

_The first time she had stepped out of the Hyuga compound after so many years…_

_The first time she had seen Naruto…_

_When she was saved by Sasuke…_

_Her confession to Naruto…_

_When she was suffering under the curse that Masayo casted upon her… _

_Her mother's tears…_

_Her younger sister's cries…_

_Her father's warm embrace…_

_She could all see her memories._

_And one by one, they were shattering into pieces. _

"_No…" Hinata said in a soft voice._

_Crash._

"_No…"_

_Crash._

"_Stop it!"_

_But she couldn't do anything to stop the mirrors from breaking. All of them continued to shatter…_

_And the last fragment she saw… was Uzumaki Naruto. _

_Tears formed in her eyes as she tried to reach for the fragment… but just like what happened to the other parts of her memories… it also shattered into pieces._

_Then she could no longer feel anything upon seeing that fragment break. The tears in her eyes continued flowing down… but she could no longer remember why she was crying. She didn't know why she was in this place… she didn't know what she was doing here._

_On top of all, she could no longer remember who she was._

* * *

She finally got out of that mysterious place. But, when she woke up… still, darkness hovered over her. With her eyes all wide and scared, she tried moving her stiff body with all her might. Now, where was she? It was so cold and narrow that her moves were very limited.

Was she in a coffin?

She tried pushing the lid of her casket, but it was useless. It didn't budge, and soon, she felt her chest getting tight. She could no longer breathe air. When she heard voices on the surface, she gave the strength in her body in knocking on the coffin to let them hear her. She tried to speak, but no voice came out of her throat.

She continued knocking and knocking… but it was taking them very long. She was starting to feel dizzy and suffocated. Her knocks were no longer that strong, and maybe they could hear her no more. But before she could lose hope, she felt her casket being moved. Soon enough, the cover was lifted… and with her blurry vision, she saw three figures looking down at her.

The one was a lady with long blonde hair, then there was an old man, and a young lady.

Hinata never knew them and even before she could speak to them, darkness took over her body.

* * *

The next morning…

Hinata shot her eyes open. And it was a different place this time. Instead of darkness, she was in a bright room, lying down on a futon. For the third time, she had asked to herself, "Where am I?"

She traveled her gaze in the room, there were nothing much to see for it was very bare. When she directed her gaze to her left side, she saw a young maiden that she had never seen before.

"Who are… you?" Hinata asked weakly.

The maiden wearing a priestess attire wore a very shocked expression on her face. She placed her hands right before her mouth upon seeing that the sacred priestess had regained consciousness, "Oh my Goodness, you're finally awake, milady!"

Hinata's brows furrowed. _Milady?_ Does this mean, this elder maiden knew her?

"I can't believe it… you really are alive." The Priestess said in an undeniably blissful tone of voice. "Thank God… Thank God, you're back…"

Hinata pushed her body up to sit on the futon. "Who are you?" she asked once again, "Where am I… and Who am I?"

The bliss on the Priestess's face faded away upon hearing Hinata ask that question. She brought her hand back to her lap and carefully asked the Hyuga heiress, "Milady… you don't remember anything?"

Hinata shook her head crestfallenly. Tons of questions were now in her mind… she didn't know who she was, where she came from or anything about her life. She couldn't remember anything, at all. Not a single detail. All she knew was, she woke up inside the coffin and then in this room.

What had really happened to her?

"This is not good…" Shinra said under her breath. "Stay here for a moment, Milady. I will be back." She added and then quickly stood up and went out of the room.

"Wait—"

Then she was left alone in the room. She heard the Priestess calling out for someone in a desperate voice, and after some seconds, she heard more footsteps getting near her room. The Priestess immediately returned with a middle-aged lady as her companion.

The lady had golden eyes, thick black hair which was tied in a low braid, and notable fair skin. She was very beautiful like a Goddess. She bowed at the Hyuga maiden before entering and then she sat beside her futon.

"Milady…" she began.

"May I ask… how do you know me?" Hinata interrupted. "Why am I in this place?"

The lady furrowed her brows.

"Tomoyo-sama… she doesn't remember anything." Shinra said.

Tomoyo nodded and it appeared that she was expecting this to happen. "Shinra, you may leave us for a while. Report to Rika and Ike-sama that the young lady has woken up." She ordered.

Shinra did as she was told. Before completely leaving, she bowed in respect at them and then closed the Shogi door.

When Shinra was out, Tomoyo had begun. She looked directly at the girl's confused eyes and asked, "Can you really not remember anything?"

Hinata looked down and gave the elder lady a weak nod.

"Not even a little of your past?"

The girl nodded again.

"What can you remember then, Milady?"

"All I could remember was… I was falling from a mysterious place… I was crying and I didn't know why. When I opened my eyes, I was inside—inside that cold and dark coffin…" she felt her hands trembling as she spoke those words. She couldn't understand why she was feeling very scared.

She felt so empty.

"Indeed, it was inevitable for you to lose your memories." Tomoyo said.

"What do you mean? Did you know… what exactly happened to me? Did you know who I really am?" Hinata asked earnestly.

Tomoyo was quiet for a moment, thinking to herself. She remembered every single detail that Maeko had told her before the Head Priestess died.

_Protect Hinata-sama no matter what, my niece. Her identity… do not let anyone know her. There is a huge possibility that she will lose her memories for what she would go through. It is best if you keep the truth hidden at all costs. When the right time comes, she will be the one to find it out. For now, protect her identity._

"You are a priestess and we all thought that you died after your exorcism. You were tasked to drive a dark spirit away, but the dark spirit was very strong that you could barely finish your mission. Though the mission was successful, but you drained so much of your energy that you grew weak. But, after you were buried, we have felt your soul slowly waking up in your body. Shinra and Monk Ike came immediately to your grave to get you, and we were right. You were still alive." Tomoyo explained.

"I was a priestess… who are you then?"

"I am Tomoyo. I am also a Priestess just like you… but I was banished from our tribe long ago. I was tasked to look after you when I was not yet banished. But, even if that duty was not assigned to me anymore, I still looked after you discreetly for I have promised to protect you with my life." She replied.

"Sacred Forest? Is that where we… live?"

Tomoyo nodded.

"What about my parents? Where are they? Do they know that I'm… alive?" Hinata asked anxiously. "Were they worried about me? What are they doing now…? Are they all right? Was I… loved?"

This time, Tomoyo was quite drawn back. Shinra had once told her that Hinata loved her parents and clan very much that she was willing to sacrifice everything for them. Even if her father was hard on her and the entire clan despised her, the girl still had a positive outlook. And she didn't hate them in return. Her love for them was not measurable.

But, Tomoyo was left no other choice. Even if she wanted to tell Hinata the truth about her family, she couldn't tell her that.

"We never knew who your parents were. You were from an orphanage… and when we found out that you had Priestess skills, we adopted you. You were different from the children in the orphanage… you were more blessed than they were. You were not a normal child." Tomoyo said.

Tears formed in Hinata's eyes and stroked down her smooth cheeks. An invisible terror occurred in her chest that gave so much pain inside her. She gripped her blanket tightly as if to control the sadness and pain she was feeling.

It hurt her so much.

"No one… No one was affected by my death… No one was saddened… No one was hurt." Hinata said in a shaky voice, "It hurts… that I was not important to anybody… but at the same time, it's better. It's—better that… I didn't make anyone sad."

Hinata was a kindhearted girl. Even if this was the first time that Tomoyo met the Hyuga maiden, she could feel how pure and innocent her heart is. Even if she lost her memories and she didn't know her true self, her personality was still the same. She was selfless.

"When… When are we going to return to the Sacred Forest?"

"We will not return there for quite some time. You would be in trouble if they found out that… you are with me. We have to go away from here and hide… I still have to train you to become a strong priestess." Tomoyo replied.

Hinata's eyes widened. "We will leave? But… where will we go?"

"We will journey to the Land of Lightning. We would be safe there… all we need to do is find a hidden village that will accept us." Tomoyo replied, "Do not worry about that. Everything will work out."

Hinata nodded as she tried to dry her tears, she then looked at Tomoyo's golden eyes. Lastly, she asked…

"My—My name… what… what's my name?"

Tomoyo stiffened. She could not give her real birth name. The Shamans know that the maiden's name is "Hinata", it would be dangerous. Tomoyo knew Masayo… by now, she knew that Masayo's starting to look for Hinata. They have to be very careful. One false move would ruin their lives.

"Tsuki. Your name is Tsuki."

"Tsuki…" Hinata said to herself. "I see… I am Tsuki…"

* * *

_Sasuke…_

Uzumaki Naruto had received a message this morning that Uchiha Sasuke betrayed the village for Orochimaru. He was sent on a mission with Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru and Chouji to successfully retrieve Sasuke. The four dealt with the Sound Four in order for Naruto to catch up to Sasuke; they hadn't expected that the Sound Four were very strong.

Chouji dealt with Jirobo, Neji dealt with Kidomaru, Shikamaru dealt with Tayuya and then Kiba dealt with the leader, Sakon. Plus, Lee dealt with a member that they had no knowledge of, Kimimaro.

Naruto was glad that his teammates were willing to do anything too to retrieve Sasuke. He could feel that he was not alone in doing this mission… Because he was still not recovered from Hinata's death, he was so lost even after her burial. But the five, especially Neji, gave him strength to carry on. Neji agreed to help him in this mission even if he was still affected by his cousin's death, so Naruto has to do his best for them, too. He could not let them down after sacrificing their lives just to help him.

And he promised Sakura.

He promised Sakura that he will bring Sasuke back to the Village at all costs.

He knew that he was the reason why Sasuke left. Sasuke left because he lusted for power… he was jealous of him becoming stronger faster than him. On top of all, he knew that Sasuke left because of him and Hinata.

Because of him, Sasuke couldn't stay. Because of him, it always reminds him of Hinata's tragic death.

Still, they were best friends. Naruto treated Sasuke as his rival but, he was still his best friend. Now that he lost Hinata, he couldn't afford losing Sasuke, too.

"Sasuke!"

Naruto shouted for the Uchiha's name, and the chase finally came to an end. They both landed at the border of the Land of Fire and The Land of Sand, the Valley of The End. Two giant statues stood on the opposite sides of a waterfall, the one on the left was Uchiha Madara, and the one on the right was Hashirama Senju.

"Stop right there. You're not going anywhere!" Naruto yelled.

Without looking back, Sasuke spoke to his rival, "Why have you come here? I said I never want to see your face again."

"I'm here to bring you back to the village. I won't let you become a traitor." Naruto replied. "Just why do you have to do this? Why do you still have to leave the village?!"

"Are you really that stupid?" Sasuke growled, still not facing him. "I chose to leave because I want power. If I choose to stay in that village, nothing will happen to me. I will not get stronger if I remain there… I will not be able to avenge my clan! And on top of all, I won't be able to find that Shaman who killed Hinata."

"But what about us? What about Sakura-chan? We're your friends, Sasuke! You're not alone… we are always here for you." Naruto said, "And you're not the only one… you're not the only one who wants to avenge Hinata's death!"

Sasuke turned to face him, his eyes glinting with hatred. "Friends? Do you think I had friends? You and Sakura were just my teammates. None other than that! I had nothing… my clan and family were all gone long ago. But, Hinata came… and she's all I have." He clenched his fists and his glare hardened, "But because of you… she's gone! Because of you, she died!"

Sasuke could feel his body getting hotter. He was feeling a pang on his nape and he placed his hand on it to endure the pain. All of a sudden, the Cursed Mark on his neck was unleashed, giving Sasuke inhuman power. One by one, his memories of Hinata came into his mind like a flashback. The day when he first met her… her smiles, her tears, her voice, her innocence and purity… it will all end up to him as a memory.

Even if Hinata wished not to blame anyone, Sasuke could not accept it easily. He still felt mad… mad at the Shaman, and on top of all, mad at Naruto. He couldn't believe that both of them would fall for the same girl; he couldn't believe that the person he considered as his best friend would be the reason why his fiancé was killed.

His hatred towards Naruto grew stronger… his desire to kill Naruto powered up not only because of the fact that he will get the Mangekyo Sharingan upon killing his closest friend, but also because Naruto stole Hinata from him.

"I will… kill you, UZUMAKI NARUTO!"

Thus, the clash had begun.

* * *

"Rika, Ike-sama. Hinata-sama regained consciousness." Shinra came to the shore to report to them. Apparently, they were checking the small ship that they were going to use to travel to the Land of Lightning.

"How is she doing then?" Rika asked.

"She's all right. But, she lost her memories." Shinra explained. "Tomoyo-sama is talking to her right now. I don't know what her plans are…"

"I see. Indeed, the young maiden would face a rough road." Ike commented.

Shinra and Rika both agreed.

"When will Hokage-sama arrive, Ike-sama? She should be here by now since Hinata-sama is already awake." Shinra asked.

"I just received a letter from our Hokage." Ike said as he held up a scroll. "An eagle came to deliver it to me a while ago. She sent us a message that she couldn't come to see us off because of unexpected work. It appeared that there was a traitor in the village." He explained.

"I see. I was hoping that Hokage-sama could bring Hinata-sama's memories back…" Shinra said.

"Shinra… Hinata-sama probably lost her memories for a reason. Maybe, it is better for her to lose her memories so it would not be very hard for her to start a new life with you, Rika and Tomoyo. And we could use that to protect her real identity." Ike said. "Now that Hinata had lost the seal on her forehead, Masayo would have a hard time looking for her. That would provide Tomoyo some time to train the Sacred Priestess, and when Hinata-sama is strong enough, the Shamans will no longer stand a chance against her."

"But, how will we hide from them? Hinata-sama's eyes are very notable because she's a Hyuga. Also, in what village will we hide in the Land of Lightning?" Rika asked.

"Tomoyo has her plans…" Ike said, "Worry not. God will not leave us." He then went down the small ship to go back to the small house where they kept Hinata. Rika immediately followed to assist the old man and Shinra was left in the shore.

Shinra looked at the sea, she knew that they would be leaving soon now that Hinata had regained consciousness. Staying in the Fire Country would be too risky for them now that the shamans would soon rise. It was frightening to imagine that the Shamans were back. She had never encountered or fought a shaman before, but her late parents once told her that the ones who killed her grandparents were the Shamans from the Kurogami clan. Her grandfather was Maeko's mentor. And to think that her grandfather and grandmother were defeated, she could not measure how powerful their villains were.

She was just a student in the temple. She was not that strong yet. How could she help Hinata if she's not even strong enough to protect herself? Now that Maeko's gone, what is she going to do?

"Maeko-sama… please, tell me what to do…" Shinra said to herself.

When she was done thinking on her own, she decided to leave the shore and go back to the small house. But, all of a sudden, a man in a black cloak appeared right in front of her.

Black cloak with red clouds.

Shinra's eyes widened. She knew what organization wears cloaks like this. She came face to face with a young man who was two to three years older than she is, and his eyes were coldly staring at her.

She once saw these eyes. She had read it from books and scrolls, and if she could remember it correctly, this was the Sharingan.

_Sharingan? From the Uchiha Clan? Don't tell me… he's…_

"In the Land of Lightning, there is a Hidden Village called the Village of Thorns. Hide there… and you shall be safe for quite some time." Itachi said.

Shinra took two steps back away from the S-Class Ninja, "You… you're from the Akatsuki… yo-you're an Uchiha. Uchiha Itachi!"

"Fear not. I did not come as an enemy. I am here to help." Itachi replied.

"I don't believe you… what about your allies?" Shinra glared at him and went to a defensive stance, "You better leave us alone. We have no business with your organization!"

"I came here alone." Itachi said, "The Akatsuki has no business with you, but I do."

"Why? You have come to take Hinata-sama away? You're one of those people that Masayo sent?" Shinra said in gritted teeth, "I will not let you. I will protect her with my life!" she then took a paper talisman from her pouch and to throw it towards Itachi. But in a blink of an eye, Itachi disappeared before she could even throw the talisman.

He appeared right behind her.

"I told you, I didn't come here as an enemy." He said and then the paper talisman in her hands was sliced into pieces, but not harming her.

Shinra immediately turned to face him and distance herself, '_He's very fast_…'

"I am on your side, not with the Shamans. I know about Hyuga Hinata being the Sacred Priestess, I was once sent on a mission that made me discover about the war between Shamans, Priests and Ninjas. Masayo is the Head Shaman of the Kurogami clan and she came back to steal the Hyuga maiden's soul in order to resurrect the Great Shaman Elder. And once that happens, it will be the downfall of the whole world." Itachi said, "I will swear my loyalty to the Sacred Priestess. I will help hiding you from the enemies."

"How could I be sure that you will not betray us?" Shinra asked, "How could I be sure that I could trust you on keeping us safe?"

"You have the privilege to take my life. I live my life under your hands. I will let my guard down if I have done a mistake." Itachi said seriously. "But I promise, I will never betray the Sacred Priestess."

Shinra could feel the sincerity of Itachi's words. She somehow relaxed a little.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"Hyuga HInata was supposed to be my brother's wife. She would be the hope to revive the Uchiha clan, but doing that would be a very huge mistake. That maiden is not for my brother… He would not be able to protect her no matter what he does." Itachi answered. "It is best if both of them do not see each other again. Her life would be in danger if Sasuke's near her."

"I see." Shinra said, "All right. I will trust you. But, once I caught you betraying us… I will not hesitate to kill you."

Itachi nodded.

"All right… I will journey first to the Land of Waves. Tell your companions that you have to meet me at the Forest of Waves, from there, I will show you the way to the Village of Thorns." He said.

"Can't you go with us?" Shinra said.

"I cannot be seen in the sea borders of the Fire Country. It is a long way to the Land of Waves, it is better if I go on a separate journey. Several assassins are hired to kill me, I cannot get you involved with that." He explained.

That made sense. Maybe… Shinra could really trust this new ally she made.

* * *

The battle between Naruto and Sasuke continued.

Sasuke was the one to attack first. As he ran towards his opponent, flashes of lightning began forming in his hands, and high-pitched screeches were heard. It was the same technique he used to attack Itachi, and it was the technique that Kakashi taught him. Even with the great pain that his Cursed Seal was giving him in his nape, he didn't care as long as it was giving him so much power and energy in his body.

As Naruto sees his rival approaching with the Chidori, he formed a clone to help him create the Rasengan. The ball of chakra rapidly formed in his palms and he then ran towards Sasuke to counter his attack.

When their two techniques collided, both of them flew backwards due to the incredible force. Sasuke, with his cursed seal activated, was undeterred that he used his Chidori again in an attempt to successfully hit Naruto. He came to the junichuuriki in a faster speed and aimed straight to his heart.

Naruto managed to block the attack, thanks to the help of his Nine-Tailed chakra. He was about to push his opponent away, but Sasuke, still determined to kill him, tried to strangle him. Naruto didn't let him. With his enormous strength, he threw the Uchiha aside easily. He took one of his Kunais in his pouch and teleported back to where Sasuke was flying towards. He swung the Kunai at him, but also with Sasuke's enhanced speed, he managed to dodge Naruto's attack by pushing himself to a safe distance and pulled out a Kunai to slice Naruto, which Naruto also dodged.

Their weapons clashed and they fought in the air for some moment. Naruto didn't have a hard time catching up whenever Sasuke doubled his speed. Sasuke was overwhelmed by his rival's skills, exciting him even more. But all of Naruto's attacks were rejected by the Uchiha, though it was obvious that they equaled in power and speed. No one was weaker, no one was stronger, and no one was faster. They were even.

With another clash, they flew backwards and landed onto the ground.

In this moment, Sasuke's Sharigan developed in fully. And he was able to predict Naruto's moves, giving him the great chance to overpower Naruto.

Naruto noticed that Sasuke's moves immediately leveled up with his matured Sharingan. He got even faster with his attacks, and whenever Naruto countered, he was blocked immediately and quickly responded. But, he didn't let his opponent overpower him easily. He fought with full perseverance, not letting his promise to Sakura slip his mind even for just a second. He could remember how Sakura looked when she saw him before he could leave with the retrieval team. She begged for him to let her come with them to help get Sasuke back, but of course, she wasn't allowed to go for it was very dangerous. With pure sadness and pain in her voice, she begged for him to bring Sasuke back. It hurt him seeing Sakura crying like that… she was his friend, one of those people who appreciated him for what he is. She was important to him, too just like how important Sasuke was to him. He didn't want her to feel what he felt after when Hinata died. He didn't want her to feel the sorrow and pain of losing someone important and not being able to do anything to protect that person.

He will bring Sasuke back no matter what the cost.

Upset by Naruto's persistence, Sasuke grabs him upon seeing an opening and uses the _Hayabusa Otoshi_. Naruto wasn't able to dodge this one, and the technique made him fall unconscious.

Sasuke leapt away when he successfully finished his technique. He stood there for a moment, gaping at the unconscious Naruto. Believing that Naruto was dead…

…

'_What in the world is happening?'_

_Thought by the Nine-Tails inside Naruto's body. _

_The light in his cage was slowly fading away… slowly getting engulfed by the darkness._

'_Why is it getting darker and darker…?'_

_And he felt himself getting weaker and the warmth was being replaced by the coldness. _

"_Damn you, kid. You can't die yet. NOT NOW. You still have lots of work to do. It is not yet time so get a grip! I, the strongest of all the Tailed Beasts, would not allow you get beaten by this Uchiha brat!"_

…

Much to Sasuke's dismay, a red chakra engulfed Naruto's stable body.

Naruto stood from his spot when he felt a much enormous power surrounding his body. His red eyes grew fiercer and his fangs and claws grew longer and sharper. He looked entirely different from his first transformation with the Kyubi's power. There surrounded him the Demon Fox's red cloak and one tail formed behind him for the first time.

He resembled so much of a fox.

Ears, tails, fangs and claws.

It appeared that the Demon Fox gave him more Chakra than before.

Sasuke could hardly believe his eyes. He had never thought that Naruto had so much power inside him.

With only one arm of the cloak, Naruto began throwing Sasuke long-ranged attacks and Sasuke had a hard time coping up with his opponent's new abilities despite having a fully-developed Sharingan.

Naruto continued being offensive, he moved closer to Sasuke with great speed and attacked him with his claws. Sasuke, who was not fast enough to predict Naruto's moves, was slashed by Naruto's sharp claws on the arms. He immediately responded by kicking him away, but Naruto blocked his attack by crossing his arms in front of him in order not to feel so much damage.

Sasuke gathered his strength on pushing Naruto away with his legs, and they were separated in a safer distance. In order to level Naruto's power, the Uchiha was left no choice but to upgrade his Cursed Seal into its Second Stage. Just like Naruto, he also went to a transformation. His skin turned gray, his hair grew long, and black tattoo appeared on his face. Having more time, the flesh on his back started moving on its own without his consent… and all of a sudden, a Demonic Wing grew from the right side of his back. And after the right wing got fully-developed, the wing on the left side grew.

He felt even more powerful. He was sure… he was sure now that he would be able to defeat Naruto with his new power.

Without words involved, their fight continued. They were both even again with everything. Speed, strength and power. Whenever one of them attacked the other, the other would immediately counter.

Their brawl went on and on for a long time… no one wanted to get beaten for different reasons.

Sasuke didn't want to get beaten… because he believed that he will attain the Mangekyou Sharingan upon killing his best friend.

Naruto didn't want to get beaten… because he promised Sakura that he will take Sasuke back to the village without fail.

.

.

.

The fight went long enough… and it was time for them to decide who wins and losses.

Sasuke went on top of Madara's statue and planned to use the Chidori again, for the third time. Whilst Naruto stood on top of the First Hokage's statue and formed the Rasengan by using only his one hand. With no hesitations between the rivals, they went toward each other and the two ninjas collided with their attacks.

As they were near each other, Sasuke planned to strike Naruto's heart in order to completely kill him. But, as he was about to, Hinata's face all of a sudden flashed in front of him. She was staring at him sadly… she didn't wear that bright smiles he adored… she was staring down at him coldly and a teardrop rolled down her beautiful face.

Naruto, who collided his Rasengan with Sasuke's chidori, all of a sudden saw Hinata's pure face. She was staring at him directly… and she looked very sad and worried. It's as if she wanted to say something to him but couldn't… It's like she was still in so much pain.

Distracted with their fight, Sasuke intentionally missed his strike on Naruto's chest and targeted the gut instead. While Naruto, only managed to scratch Sasuke's forehead protector.

A dome of black energy formed between them…

Even with the black dome of energy, they entered a very bright place and both of them gently floated in the middle of the space. Both facing each other… flashes of images of their childhood appeared.

A young Naruto and Sasuke who held hands, declared their rivalry, and smiled at each other.

After that, they were warped out of the bright place, and then back to the Valley of The End. The rain started to pour down heavily, making the dusts clear away.

And there… it was clearly seen that Sasuke was the last one standing. Sasuke was back to normal again, not in his cursed seal mode anymore.

Naruto lied on the ground with his eyes closed, he was also back to his normal human form.

The rain started pouring on them, soaking their clothes and faces. Still, Naruto didn't wake up from his sleeping form. The droplets of rain stroke down the jinchuuriki's peaceful face as Sasuke lost the strength on his knees and knelt at the front of Naruto's head. His nose nearly touched the unconscious figure's forehead.

Sasuke only stared at him. He argued whether he would kill Naruto or not.

He was very close to attain power.

Once he kills his best friend, he would obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan, which he could use to kill Itachi and avenge his clan.

He was so close to be victorious.

"_Sasuke!"_

All of a sudden, Naruto's childish grinning face flashed back in his mind. All the times they spent together… in the academy, in their missions, in the Chunin exams… it all came back to him. With those, he was obviously hesitating to kill his best friend. He hated to admit it, he treasured his friendship with the number one unexpected ninja. They understood each other… they connected… they shared a strong bond.

He closed his eyes for a moment to erase all those memories in him. Avenging his clan was much important. Attaining power was much important. Avenging Hinata's death was much important. He then opened his sharp eyes, and he unexpectedly saw a ray of sun on Naruto's face.

'_A ray of sun in the middle of this heavy rain?_'

Sasuke thought and then he lifted his head up to look at the sky gray sky. He saw a small portion of clouds apart, giving way to the narrow sun's ray.

"Hinata… is that you?" he said softly.

The rain soaked his handsome face and he was feeling different. He knew that Hinata was watching them… and if she were alive, he knew that she wouldn't let him and Naruto fight like this.

He knew that Hinata was stopping him to kill Naruto.

She would be sad if he'd kill the one she loves.

Sasuke turned his hands into fists and glared down at Naruto. '_Even in the end, the one she still chose to love was still him…'_

He stood from his spot then began walking away. He decided to leave Naruto alive… and went on with his journey to Orochimaru.

* * *

"Give me your hand, milady." Shinra kindly offered a hand to help the maiden up the private ship, but Hinata seemed distracted for some reason. "Milady?"

Hinata looked at the horizon. From the shore, she could see dark clouds from afar. "It's raining in that region…" she said to herself.

"Milady? Is something the matter?" Shinra asked.

"Oh," Hinata took Shinra's hand and they were on the ship now. "I'm sorry… I just felt something in that place." She explained as she looked again at the region where there were rain clouds.

Shinra followed her gaze. '_That's the Valley of The End…_' she thought to herself.

"Don't mind me… maybe it's just my imagination, Shinra." Hinata said.

"Ah… _hai…_oh, this way, Hi—Tsuki-sama, I shall lead you to your room to rest." Shinra said.

Hinata shook her head, "We may proceed to that later… I would want to see Ike-sama one last time before we leave." She then looked down the shore to see Ike, Tomoyo and two masked men.

"Well then, Tomoyo. It was nice seeing you again after so many years. I apologize for not being able to accompany you and Hinata-sama in your journey. Now that Maeko-sama is gone, I need to replace her in leading the Sacred Forest." The Head Monk, Ike, said.

"I understand, Ike-sama. Please, do not worry about that." Tomoyo said.

"You know, Tomoyo, you can return to us. I believe that they will all accept you again if you would tell the whole story." Ike said.

Tomoyo shook her head solemnly, "That is not necessary anymore, Ike-sama. I am contented with my life… I already accepted my punishment a long time ago and I took an oath that I will live by it. Thank you for your kindness." She then bowed respectfully.

Ike sighed, "All right. If that is your decision, then I can do no more." He turned towards the masked men, "Please, do protect them on their way."

"Leave that to us." One of the ANBU said.

Tomoyo looked at the sky, "I believe it is time for us to leave." She said, "Please, do pray for our journey and our safe return, Ike-sama."

Ike nodded, "You can count on me. I will pray for your safety, especially for the Sacred Priestess."

"Tomoy-sama! We must go now! I can see rain clouds forming from afar, it is best if we leave before the rain comes." Rika said from the deck.

"Well then… farewell, Ike-sama. I will do everything I can to protect Hinata-sama." Tomoyo said and then she began her way up to the ship. The ANBU followed her on her rear.

When they were all up, the anchor was pulled up and the ship was ready to sail off.

Hinata stood beside Tomoyo as she stared down at Ike.

"Have a safe trip, Tsuki-sama." Ike said.

Hinata beamed a bright smile on her face and waved down at the Head Monk as the ship began sailing off. "Take care of yourself, Ike-sama." She said.

Ike smiled and waved back at the maiden. "I will." He answered. He couldn't help but feel warm upon seeing Hinata smile like that. _'Even if she was facing a lot of hardships, she can still smile_… _I pray that you will be stronger to face what lies in your future, Hinata-sama. And I hope that in your return, I can see that beautiful smile of yours once more."_

_Farewell, Sacred Priestess… I will wait for your return._

_._

_._

_._

And so, a new chapter of their lives had begun. Hinata, along with her companions, sets off to the Lightning Country to hide from the Shamans and to train her priestess abilities. With her lost memories, she could not remember anything from her previous life. She believes the identity that Tomoyo told her that she was. She had left her village without knowing that this was her true hometown… and without letting her family know that she was still alive. She may encounter new challenges with her new identity… but a new companion would help her along her way. Who could have ever thought that it would be Uchiha Itachi? The ANBU were just appointed to guard them in the ship, when they reach the Land of Waves, that's where Tomoyo and her company would be left as if they hadn't known each other. Shinra led them to the Forest of Waves in order to meet up Itachi. From there, he would be the one to lead them to the Land of Lightning to reach the Hidden Village of Thorns.

Uchiha Sasuke, on the other hand, successfully got to Orochimaru. He was firm with his decision on abandoning Konoha. He was genuinely accepted to be Orochimaru's apprentice and next vessel in order to gain the power he needs to kill his elder brother and avenge Hinata's death. He will grow stronger and the next time he fights with Naruto, he will kill him without mercy.

Uzumaki Naruto… returned to the village with a mission failure. His companions helped him with everything they could, but he failed them. On top of all, he wasn't able to keep his promise with Sakura. But, instead of being sad, he received words of encouragement from his teammate. That both of them would get stronger and will search for Sasuke together. From that moment on, Naruto promised to himself that he will work harder to search for Sasuke… And so, he journeys with Jiraiya to train.

With their paths separated… how will they see each other again? What else does Destiny have in store?

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:**

****yay! I can't believe I'm finished with their childhood! Yipee! Thank you for your reviews! :) Your reviews are enough for a Christmas present for me. ^^

The next chapter would be posted on New Year's eve. I hope I won't sleep in. XD Well, I gotta go and finish reading my new Agatha Christie book. God Bless y'all!

**VOCABULARY**

**Hai- yes**


	14. Chapter 14: 5 years

**a/n:  
**wooohooo! 5 hours to go here in my country, and it's 2013~! *blows trumpet* finally... my chance will come soon. A one time chance every year. I do believe that when a person jumps during New Year's... he/she gets taller. I do that every year. XD I want to grow tall... hahahaha.

I didn't intend for this chapter to be that long... but... I guess I got carried away. ^^

so, yeah. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU! THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MY READERS! ^^

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

**Chapter 14: 5 years**

The sun shone brightly in the horizon, its rays uninterrupted by the clouds for the sky was soothingly clear. The gentle wind blew the warm air of the Fire Country to a certain Ninja's skin as he stood tall by the Konoha Village entrance. His spiky blond hair slightly followed the wind's motion as he took a deep breath, accepting the warmth of the breeze to his tanned skin. His black and orange tracksuit along with his white robe, danced along with the gentle wind.

He had missed everything in this village. He was glad that everything was back to normal.

The entrance gate was built stronger, the villagers were busy with their daily lives again and they were living on as if the Fourth World Shinobi War hadn't happened a year ago.

Uzumaki Naruto felt very happy, at the same time, sad. Sad, because he wasn't able to help with the reconstruction of the village due to his required stay at the Mount Myoboku to recover from his battle with Obito and Madara. Happy, because he was now known as the Hero of the Village. He had not saved the village only once, but he saved it twice. From Pein's invasion, and from Obito and Madara's folly. Finally, after a year of not seeing his beloved home, he was back for good. It sucked when he was done with his battle with Obito. The toad elders told him that he passed out and he could nearly die if it weren't for a priestess's help, but when he woke up, he was already in the Mount Myoboku. He was not even able to see how everything turned out after he defeated the Uchihas. The Toad elders just informed him that the village was doing well with the reconstruction and that many had survived, but there were brave ninjas who died with honor. It was war, after all. Sacrifices were inevitable.

He wished he were there to help everyone out.

Seventeen-year-old, Uzumaki Naruto, stepped inside of the Konohagakure for the very first time after a year of recovery. Much to his surprise, his arrival went didn't go unnoticed and not avoided.

"Hey, isn't that Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Yes. No mistake! It's him!"

"He's back!"

In just a matter of seconds walking at the streets of the village, the villagers were gathered around him, watching him as he made his way.

"The Hero is finally back!"

Naruto somewhat blushed slightly upon hearing the citizens call him "hero". It's not like this was his first time hearing them call him that… it's just that after a year living with toads who didn't likely treated him a hero at all? He felt so grateful to hear that title in him again.

Hero or not… he was still the same Uzumaki Naruto.

He ran towards the tallest pole he could see and stood on top of it confidently. With full confidence, he had shouted the words boisterously,

"EVERYONE! UZUMAKI NARUTO, YOUR HERO, IS BACK!"

The citizens cheered victoriously, giving Naruto supplies of delight and success.

"IT'S GREAT TO BE HOME!"

* * *

Haruno Sakura was not having one of the best days in her life. Much that she hated it, she was stuck again with her ever so insensitive teammate, Sai whether she liked it or not. They were tasked to fetch some scrolls in the Konoha library for Tsunade's ongoing research. Sakura had no complaints at all even if her master gives her different orders at a time… but being stuck with Sai in every single work she has? It was driving her nuts. She's been with him for already a year, oh, plus those years before the Fourth World Shinobi War.

It's not that she hated Sai or anything… She was only surprise how insensitive and annoying he could be. Naruto won the top rank of her annoyance, but she didn't know that Sai could be as annoying as Naruto. Well, thanks to her mad skills of adjustment and temperance, she was used to it. But it took a lot of punches and kicks before she could attain divine patience. Punches and kicks received by him, not by her.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Sakura-san! My, my… you look beautiful today." The librarian named Miki said. She had long curly black hair that gracefully falls behind her back and smooth fair skin. She appeared to be eight years older than the pink-haired kunoichi.

"Stop flattering me, Miki-nee-san. You see me for like every day." Sakura said in a slightly sarcastic tone. She considered Miki as one of the most beautiful people she had ever seen.

Miki leaned her elbows on the counter and placed her head in between her palms. "I wish you could always wear those clothes than your usual ones when you go to the field." She commented.

Indeed, Sakura was not wearing her usual attire. Since she had not been assigned to field missions recently, she was wearing her red top with a yellow shirt under it and a fit black skirt. Her usual attire when she's not on a mission. She doesn't know why Miki continues blabbering about it even if she goes in the library everyday wearing those.

"I told you Miki-nee-san, that's not going to work anymore. If you want to talk to Kakashi-sensei, you could just tell it to me directly. No need for so much flattering, please." Sakura said.

Miki giggled. "You figured me out?"

"That's like the hundredth time you did that, Miki-nee-san. _Mou_." The kunoichi replied. "Anyways… may you please kindly sign these for approval of borrowing the scrolls?" she then handed the librarian a special library card.

Miki signed it with her signature. "Hokage-sama is still continuing her researches, isn't she? I adore her devotion. Do tell her not to forget about taking care of her health." She said.

Sakura smiled and took the library card back to her safety pocket. "I understand. I'll tell it to her."

"Sakura-san. It is time to go." Sai said, who was standing by the door carrying lots of scrolls in his arms. Just like Sakura, he was just wearing his usual clothes when not on a field mission. Black-zippered shirt and regular combat pants.

"Ah, coming." Sakura said and then she bowed at Miki. She then joined Sai.

"But, Sakura-san! I did mean what I told you today. You really look beautiful." Miki gave her a thumbs-up and winked.

"I do agree, too." Sai smiled. "But, I do wonder why she couldn't get herself a lover." He added.

A huge vein appeared on Sakura's forehead. She gave him a strong smack in the head before walking out of the library.

"Now, I no longer wonder." Sai whispered to himself as a bump suddenly inflated on his head.

"Have a nice day, guys!" Miki said.

* * *

Sakura and Sai were walking down the streets to go back to the Hokage mansion. Since they had gone out, Sakura refused to have a word with her male companion.

"Sakura-san. I sincerely apologize for what I said earlier." Sai said for the umpteenth time. Still, Sakura didn't respond or didn't even turn back to face him.

Sai heaved a big sigh. "All right, I give up. Hate me for all you want." He said, "But do keep in mind that if you keep up with that attitude of yours, you will never ever get yourself a boyfriend."

Sakura halted on her steps and had a huge vein on her head again. "Sai…" she said with a demonic voice. "You're going to get it!" she then curled her fists and was about to attack Sai once again. But all of a sudden, the noise of the villagers took both of their attentions.

"Did you hear? The Hero of the village has returned!"

"Really? Uzumaki Naruto is back? Better check this out!"

"I think he's over there!"

Sai and Sakura blinked their eyes. Did they hear right?

"Naruto… is back?" Sakura said to herself.

"It seems so… The villagers are making a huge fuss about it." Sai said as he looked around to see people running towards a crowded place.

Soon, both of them ran towards where the villagers were going to see for themselves if Naruto was completely back for good.

* * *

Naruto jumped down from the pole and landed on the ground heroically. He stretched his arms out in the air and took a deep breath. "That feels so great!" he exclaimed. He continued hearing cheers from the villagers that made him feel even greater.

Finally, he was able to get a taste of success. He should have experienced this last year, all year round all he ever tasted were foods from the Myoboku Mountain that he didn't know if they were really edible.

"Excuse me, please. Thank you." He then heard a familiar voice from the villagers surrounding him. Soon, he saw a pink-haired girl with an oddly fair-skinned guy. Happiness rained all over his face.

"Sakura-chan! Sai!" He boisterously shouted and went towards them in a heartbeat.

Green eyes widened upon seeing the yellow-haired ninja. "No doubt about it… it really is you, Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed and gave him a friendly hug, that he least expected. "Welcome home." She said gently before breaking the immediate embrace.

Naruto grinned, "I am so glad to see you guys again! You two haven't changed much." He said.

"You too, Naruto-kun. You're still a loudmouthed person despite becoming the Hero of the Village." Sai commented.

Naruto chuckled. "I'm right, you're still the same, Sai."

"Oh yeah. He keeps getting worse day by day." Sakura added.

"And so is Sakura-san." Another comment from the numb former ANBU.

"Why can't you just shut the hell up, Sai?!" Sakura snapped.

"Now, now. Both of you stop it." Naruto said.

Sakura cleared her throat, "Sorry about that, Naruto." She said, "After a year of your absence, I'm sure Tsunade-sama will be very surprised when she sees you already back. We're on our way to the Hokage mansion, come with us."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah. I'm planning to go there first, too." He said. "The village seems to be back to normal, now. Everyone appears to be really happy and lively…"

"Yeah… it's all thanks to you, Naruto. You don't know how much thankful we are for having you ending the devastating war." Sakura said. "We owe all our lives to you."

Naruto traveled his gaze around the streets to see the villagers' faces. They were all smiling and cheering lively at him. They were delighted to see him. His blue eyes softened and a small gentle smile formed at the corner of his lips. He couldn't help but compare… these were the faces he saw when he was young, all glaring at him as if he were a murderer… all of their eyes glistened with anger, disgust and hatred. But now, all of those frightening gazes were gone. Instead of being hated, he was being appreciated and adored by everyone.

He had never felt so good in his life ever since _that _day.

* * *

Being the Fifth Hokage didn't suit her at all. She admitted it for very many times since she sat on the throne several years ago. Even though she still looked young and beautiful despite her age, she could feel it inside her that there was not a chance of growing younger. The War was over and that gave her so much relief… but it still couldn't hide the fact that a lot of Konoha Ninjas sacrificed their lives for this. Whenever she thought of those lifeless bodies, she couldn't stop herself for being trapped in her puzzling question, _"Does the title of the Hokage righteously belong to me_?"

She lost her loyal ninjas… she lost her villagers… she couldn't protect their lives well.

For all these years, had she been doing right?

Tsunade closed her eyes to calm the tension down. She clasped her hands together on top of her desk. _'Jiraiya… tell me… was I good enough?' _she mentally spoke.

*knock knock*

Tsunade opened her eyes and let her thoughts slip away for the meantime, "Enter." She said. She expected for Sakura and Sai to show up, but all of a sudden, a blond-haired ninja with a white robe invaded her room with a booming voice.

"THE NUMBER ONE NINJA IS BACK, BAA-CHAN!"

"Idiot! Keep your voice down!" it was Naruto's turn to get one of Sakura's signature smacks on the head.

So much for a Hero's Comeback.

"Naruto!" Tsunade looked at him wide-eyed.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and tended his first bump of the year, "Long time no see. You're still an old hag!" he laughed.

Sakura furrowed her brows. She was about to give Naruto another hit when all of a sudden she was caught by Tsunade's change of expression. The Godaime had her eyes stuck to Konoha's Hero. A feeling of overwhelm, relief and delight filled her tight chest. Even if didn't she express it openly; Sakura could read her.

After all, they've been together for a long time.

Whenever Tsunade sees Naruto, all of her worries subside. It's because he reminds her of her late brother, her late lover and her late teammate, Jiraiya. This was the very first time she had seen Naruto ever since the war… she was defeated by Madara in a blood-shedding battle along with the other Kages. The time she regained consciousness, Sakura just reported to her that Naruto has gone back to Myoboku Mountain for recovery.

"It is good to have you back, Naruto." Tsunade said gently and smiled at him.

All of a sudden, the look on Naruto's face expressed as if he saw a ghost. He hid behind Sai and trembled, "B-B-B-BAA-CHAN! I didn't want to slack! That old toad just dragged me along with him back to the mountain! I swear I wanted to help out with the construction, _dattebayo_! DON'T SMILE AT ME LIKE THAT ANYMORE! You scare me! I am going to work, I'm telling you!"

And all of a sudden, those good things she thought about him exploded one after another.

Sakura stared blankly at him, '_This guy… I can't believe he's the Hero._'

Sai blinked at him in confuse, "Oh… so Tsunade-sama smiles sincerely whenever she wants to make someone's life miserable." He said.

Sakura face-palmed, "Oh, I can't believe I'm with these two…" she said under her breath.

Tsunade decided to let Naruto's comments off the hook for the meantime. It was his big return, after all. "Sai." She said.

"Ah, _hai_." Sai then walked towards the Hokage's desk and placed the scrolls on top of her huge table filled with other paperwork.

"Sakura, I want you to analyze these scrolls with me. Also, inform Shizune that we will conduct another experiment later." Tsunade said briefly, and only with that, Sakura knew what she meant.

"_Wakarimashita_." The kunoichi said.

"Sai. You will be patrolling at the north for today. That's all I have for you to do today, but be prepared I could send you into one of the special missions sooner." she said.

"_Hai."_ Sai said.

"And as for you, Uzumaki Naruto." She glared at the jinchuuriki.

Naruto stiffened from his spot and gulped hard.

"I guess I still don't have so much work for a GENIN. Go ahead and do what you want. Just come right back tomorrow, I will have to examine how much you have recovered from the war." She said.

Naruto felt insulted for being called a genin, "Listen, old hag. You are talking to the HERO of this village. The HERO of the WAR. You cannot insult _ore-sama_."

That was it. Even if it was his Heroic return, Tsunade couldn't keep up with her nice-guy attitude anymore.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY OFFICE!"

* * *

Naruto and Sai strode down the streets after getting scolded and screamed at by the Godaime.

Naruto still had his carefree attitude with him despite being the Great Hero. He had his arms behind his head as he walked side by side with his teammate.

"So, Sai… How're you doing these days? I bet you're getting in good terms with Sakura-chan." Naruto said.

Sai gave him an innocent look, "Oh, yes. We've been together for some time now. And I always get a couple of punches… but it's not that bad anymore. I'm used to it now." He said.

"I see." Naruto said, "You know, one year felt like eternity to me when I was in Myoboku Mountain for my recovery. There was not a day that I didn't think of how the village was doing after the war and how you guys are. I came to the point that I thought I wouldn't be able to come back anymore due to my severe injuries. I could hardly believe that I could walk again in these streets… and most of all, with _you_ in my much awaited return."

Sai was the same old Sai. No reaction.

"When you were lying down there when you defeated Obito and Madara… I really thought that you were dead and had no more chance to live." Sai said, "But that mysterious Priestess didn't give up on healing you. We were really thankful to her… but we never got her name."

"Yeah. I remember her. She shielded me with a barrier when I was in the process of going into Sage Mode. It appeared like Neji and… Hiashi-sama knew her. I once heard them call her Shin-something. Shinta or Shinra… I can't really recall well."

"But we are also thankful to her… she helped tending the injured."

The two continued striding the streets and talking about their lives when all of a sudden two ninjas interrupted them.

"There's no mistake. It really is you, Naruto!"

A ninja with long spiky brown hair and chubby cheeks and—body—ran towards them with a lazy ninja following his back.

"Chouji! Shikamaru!" Naruto exclaimed in a heartbeat. "Long time no see!"

"So the rumors were true. The "Great" Hero of Konoha is back." Shikamaru said.

Naruto chuckled. "Well, yeah."

"_Yosh_! We're going to have a feast tonight! Naruto, go to the barbeque restaurant for dinner… we will all have the restaurant to ourselves!" Chouji exclaimed.

"Really?! That would be awesome! Count me in." Naruto said.

"Come on, Shikamaru. Let's go and invite the others!" Chouji said.

Shikamaru furrowed his brows, "Why do I need to come with you? That would be troublesome. Do it yourself… I still need to see Tsunade-sama."

"Are you sure that it's Tsunade-sama you want to see?" Chouji crossed his arms over his chest, "You know, _she's _still at the flower shop when I passed by there earlier. Tsunade-sama hasn't called for her yet about your investigatory project."

Shikamaru froze on his spot as he avoided anyone's gaze. "What are you talking about? What a drag…" he said and then started walking away.

"Hey, Shikamaru! You're coming to the feast later, aren't you?" Chouji asked.

"Well, it may be troublesome… but if it's for the Great Hero, then it's not that troublesome anymore." The Jounin replied.

Naruto smiled to himself. _'Shikamaru and Chouji didn't change either.'_

When Shikamaru was gone, Chouji went off with his work too. And that is inviting all the others for the dinner at the barbeque restaurant.

Naruto and Sai were then left again striding the streets with themselves. Their chat continued, and when they got to a certain intersection… Naruto halted in his steps.

"Later then, Sai. I need to go this way." Naruto said as he pointed at a different path.

"Oh, I see. Where are you going?" Sai asked.

"I… I'm just going to visit someone." Naruto replied uncertainly.

"All right. See you later then at the party." Sai said.

"Yeah, sure." Naruto grinned.

And then the two parted their ways.

* * *

Naruto didn't have a hard time passing through the silent hill anymore. The first time he returned three years ago from his training with Jiraiya to the Village and visited the silent hill, the ANBU had him arrested for trespassing. Only few were authorized to enter the place. That included the Hyuga Clan, the Hokage, the chosen ninjas and the head monk and priestess. Now, he was included to the list, thanks to the special permission of the Hokage and the Head of the Hyuga clan.

The place was usually peaceful and of course, quiet. But whenever he went there, nothing but sadness fills his emotions. He abruptly forgot the taste of victory and success that were overflowing inside him since his return. He abruptly forgot the feeling of being a HERO even though he was officially titled as one.

The greatest pain he had ever felt was stinging his heart again as he looked down at the tombstone in front of him.

Naruto slowly crouched on the ground and reached to touch the tomb… his fingers caressed her engraved name gently. Nothing but pure loneliness showed on his handsome face. It was awfully quiet that he could almost hear his own heartbeat. When he thought of the warm welcome the village offered him, it's as if it didn't matter to him anymore.

"Hinata… I'm back…" he whispered in a melancholic voice.

He slowly closed his eyes and a certain unforgettable memory occurred to him.

"_Na…Naruto-san?"_

_Naruto jumped down quietly to the ground and went closer to the girl. "Yo!"_

"_Wh-What are you doing here?" she stammered._

_Naruto vaguely scratched the back of his head and looked away from her with slightly pink cheeks, "Well, I really planned visiting you as soon as possible but they won't let me out the hospital after a week… I just wanted to see how you are doing after all that." He replied._

_Hinata looked down, cheeks can be compared to a tomato. She fidgeted her fingers nervously, "I-I-I wasn't able to th-thank you properly wh-when you saved me back then…" she stood up from her seat and bowed in front of him, "Honto ni arigatou gozaimasu." She then lifted her head up and smiled brightly in front of him._

_Naruto laughed awkwardly, "That's nothing. You can always count on me!" he then gave her one of his signature goofy grins. He mentally noted that she was pretty cute… especially when she was blushing._

That was the very first time he had entered the Hyuga Household. That was the very first time he had seen her smile for him like that… it was so pure, sweet and relaxing. He promised to himself once that he would always make her happy. Even if it has already been a long time, he could still clearly remember how sweet her smiles were.

He curled his hands tightly as another memory went back to him.

It was that night when he got out of the hospital… he was running so desperately as if a monster was chasing after him—Tsunade telling him that she didn't make it—Neji and Hanabi both engulfed with sadness—Sasuke walking quietly at the hallways and glaring at him with full of hatred with his onyx eyes—Haruka's sobs inside the Hyuga maiden's room—and Hinata's body… Hinata's body lying lifelessly on her futon.

Naruto gritted his teeth as all of those painful memories came back to him.

So what if he mastered Sage Mode?

So what if he can control the Bijuu?

So what if he defeated Pein?

So what if he defeated Obito and Madara?

So what if he became the Hero?

After all those accomplishments…it's as if all of those meant nothing. Sure he had the fame, the power he needed and the trust of the villagers. Still… he failed to protect the most important person in his life.

"Uzumaki Naruto…"

A familiar voice then came from behind. Naruto stood up upon knowing who owned the voice and faced the man.

"Hiashi-sama." Naruto said in a soft voice and he bowed, "It's been a long time."

Hiashi stared at the young man. In silence, he walked towards his daughter's grave and placed down Nadeshiko Flowers. He knelt down before the tomb and started to pray on his own.

A deafening silence occupied the two.

Naruto looked down at Hinata's grave again… he felt his soul breaking down.

Hiashi opened his eyes, "The Great Hero of Konoha…" he finally broke the ice, "That's what the villagers started to call you."

Naruto gave the Hyuga head a look.

"In spite of your heroic achievement… you still seem to consider yourself a failure. I can't fully see that you are contented with what you are right now." Hiashi said, "You have done a lot for the sake of our village. You were willing to sacrifice your life to protect everyone… you have done everything to be strong and be recognized by all of us in this village."

Naruto remained quiet.

"But I can still feel that sadness and regret inside of you. After all these years, you are still blaming yourself for my daughter's death. After all these years… it was still her whom you love."

"Yes, sir… it is still her."

"Wherever she is right now, I know… she is proud of you." Hiashi said and stood up to face Naruto. "Her death… none of it was your fault. It's been a long time now, you should learn to move on and stop blaming yourself. You have mourned long enough… it is time for you to look for someone else."

Naruto looked away and shook his head, "There is no way I could forget about her. My goals, achievements… everything I did for my success was dedicated to her. Even if she was not alive anymore… I could feel that she's still right by my side. She was the one who kept me going on."

Hiashi placed a supportive hand on Naruto's broad shoulder, "Thank you for everything, Uzumaki Naruto." He said, "Not only because you saved the village… but for also giving happiness to my daughter during the days she was still alive. I was wrong to take everything away from her… I was wrong to control her life… I was wrong to get in the way of your love for each other. If I hadn't done that then—"

"You were just trying to protect her, sir." Naruto said. He could predict that the conversation will just worsen the situation especially when both of them bring up the blaming of Hinata's death. "How is Hanabi-chan doing?"

"She's the same as always." Hiashi replied, "Doing her best to be the next leader of the clan."

"I see… I believe that she will be a wise leader." Naruto commented, "I must go now, Hiashi-sama. I have to check on my apartment."

"I understand. I will stay here longer." Hiashi said as Naruto bowed at him.

Naruto then began walking down the hill when Hiashi suddenly called him before he could completely disappear.

"Do visit us soon. Hanabi would be delighted to see you." He said.

Naruto just nodded and then he disappeared from the Hyuga Leader's sight.

* * *

Cries of exasperation and exhaustion echoed throughout the dark temple of the Shaman Clan. Inside the Meditating room was the Head Shaman, lying down before a bookrack which contained the Sacred Book of Shamans. Several letters flew around and emitted black auras around, and slowly, they all began fading away. The markings on the Head Shaman's body began disappearing, too.

Beads of sweat trailed down Masayo's wrinkled old face. But slowly, she began regaining her young flesh. A violet energy began surrounding her and gave off a calm glow. It was healing her. Her silver hair was replaced by her original black one, and a few moments later, she was back to her beautiful young self. Not even a small vestige of oldness was left. She was back… she could feel her strength going back to her body.

Masayo took a hold of the bookrack to haul her up from the ground. She looked at her palms. Clean, soft and smooth again. No more trace of the markings she worked so hard to erase from her body.

"I broke it… finally." She said under her breath.

Domon and her servants bust inside the Meditating room upon feeling the natural flow of energy in their bodies. Just like Masayo, Domon had undergone the same process. His old self began to get younger. And those markings left his body.

"You did it." Domon said with full of relief in his tone. "The curse is broken!"

Masayo began chuckling on her own, "Those Uchihas… Those Uchihas are definitely regretting everything in hell. They refused my offer to help with the war… now where are they? Both dead! And I am still alive… breathing and enjoying the rest of my life!" she exclaimed, "Trapping the whole clan with that Godforsaken Heaven's Cursed Seal of Power Disruption for three long years… that Obito and Madara are fools. If they just accepted our help… then the whole world would be ours! They will never fail with their plans! With that war, we would easily locate where the Sacred Priestess is!"

She walked towards the Sacred Book of Shamans and closed it, "We would be unstoppable if those Uchihas considered my offer… It would benefit them and our clan. I would have been able to revive the Great Shaman Elder several years ago if they just cooperated! Now, look who's laughing? The clan that they cursed will soon rise again and dominate the world to ourselves!" she faced her clan members, "This time… we will not let anyone stop us anymore. We will find the Sacred Priestess, revive the Great Shaman Elder and the Shamans will rule the world!"

Cheers of new hope refilled the shamans' empty souls.

The world would soon tremble for Shamans' true fury.

* * *

10.00PM, Konoha Gakure.

The celebration in the Barbeque Shop was finally over. If it weren't for the Chunins' and Jounins' work for tomorrow, they could have partied all night celebrating Naruto's return. It has been a long time since they got together… they never thought that they could still even be together after what the village has been through before and during the war. Everyone in the party had fun and was grateful that Naruto was finally home.

Naruto and Neji were walking down the streets, gazing up the stars as they made their way home. The sky was cloudless, it was a perfect time for star-gazing.

"Naruto…" Neji broke the silence forming between them.

"Hm?"

"Are you still going after him?" Neji asked in a serious tone of voice. "You've been gone for a year… and one time I talked to Sakura, I could sense that she was… blaming herself for not being able to stop Sasuke again."

It took a while before Naruto could reply. A solemn look was plastered on his face again even after having so much fun with his friends at the Barbeque Shop earlier.

"Just like you… the villagers saw him as a hero also. Even if Sasuke was a traitor, the villagers were thankful that he was there to help us stop Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito." Neji added, "But when you passed out from the battle, Sasuke still chose to leave."

Naruto took his gaze away from the sparkling stars and glued his eyes on the ground. "It's never Sakura-chan's fault… That time… Sasuke chose to fight on our side because of… Hinata. And Sasuke chose to leave because of me. He once told that I'm the reason why he couldn't stay in the village. That I remind him of Hinata's tragic death." He paused, "But, I'm not giving up. All these years, I chase after him. My goal was to bring him back home. For Sakura-chan's sake, and of course, for Sasuke's own sake."

Neji gave Naruto a look. "You're going to continue looking for him… despite all that?"

Naruto replied the positive, "Sasuke is my teammate. My rival. My Best Friend. I could never leave him alone, now that we fought side by side during the war. I thought that I took one step closer to him. I thought that I could save him from the dark abyss he made. I can't give up now."

As expected, Naruto never failed to amuse Neji with his determination.

A comfortable silence occurred between them as they continued walking. It was only broke when they came to an intersection where they had to go to separate paths.

"Neji…" Naruto spoke his companion's name, "Can I go with you? I want to… go _there_. It's been five years since I went to that place…" he said.

Neji had a soft look on his eyes. He remained quiet; he knew what Naruto meant. He just nodded and both of them made their way toward the Hyuga Household.

.

.

.

The servants in the Main House greeted Naruto as he entered the Household with Neji. They all bowed at him like what they do to Hiashi to give respect. Naruto was not a "nobody" anymore. Ever since the Invasion of Pein, everyone in the Hyuga Household acknowledge him just as what Hiashi did.

Naruto had mixed feelings as he walked at the hallways. As usual, the hallways and corridors were clean for nobility. The Hyuga servants bowing down at him was new… Five years ago, they were blaming him for what had happened to Hinata. Five years ago, they all hated him. Despised him. But now, they were treating him as if he were loyalty. It has been five years since he last set foot in this mansion. That last time was when he forced himself in to see how Hinata was doing. Painful memories of her death came into him again.

Neji and Naruto finally reached the place. It didn't change for these past years. Everything was still in right place… the porch, the bushes, the view of the moon, and the Koi pond. It was exactly what it was five years ago when he was secretly visiting Hinata. The secret passage was even still there.

"It's still the same…" Naruto said in a soft voice as he walked down the porch to the Koi pond. He saw the Koi swimming in the water being very active as they are. He smiled down at the adorable creatures. "It's like five years didn't change anything in this place… it feels like… time didn't move here."

Neji agreed. He understood how Naruto was feeling… because he felt the same too whenever he went here. Nothing changed… except for one thing.

Hinata wasn't here anymore. This was her favorite place; she spent most of her time reading and studying here, taking care of the Koi, and waiting for Naruto to come visit her. This place reminds them everything about Hinata.

"Haruka-sama's last wish was to preserve this place… Before she died, she told Hiashi-sama to always look after the Koi pond and never change anything here. Because this place… it makes us feel that Hinata-sama is not gone. It makes us feel that she is still with us." Neji said.

Naruto's smile began dissolving when he took back his gaze from the Koi and look up the cloudless sky. The half moon shone brightly down at the whole village. He agreed with what Neji said… he felt as if Hinata were still alive in this place. He could feel her… she was nowhere to be seen, but he could feel that she was with them. Watching them… guiding them.

"During the War… Hinata came to help me." Naruto said, "She guided me as I fought with Obito… when I was down and was losing hope to defeat him, Hinata showed up inside me. She pulled my hand up and gave me strength to go on." He paused, "She was smiling at me…and then she disappeared. After all that, I felt my body getting stronger again… and I was able to end the war."

Neji fell silent. Even if his cousin was long gone, her soul never abandoned her most beloved person. He couldn't measure how much his cousin loved Naruto… and at the same time, he could feel that Naruto's love for the maiden never changed. It was still strong and undeterred despite her death.

"You know what, when that Priestess came to help us, I sensed something in her. Was her name Shinra?" Naruto asked.

Neji nodded.

"When she was healing me… it feels like Hinata's energy. It's the same like Hinata's…" Naruto said.

"It's because Shinra-san's and Hinata-sama's mentor is the same. I believe she never got to mention you that when Hiashi-sama stopped training her, Maeko-sama, the head priestess of the fire country became her mentor. Hinata-sama was being trained as a priestess with healing energy." Neji explained.

"I see. That's why it felt so familiar." Naruto replied, "I never got to thank her properly… without her help, I'm probably dead."

Then both of them fell silent again. They felt relaxed… but pure sadness was written on both their faces. The place did make them feel that Hinata wasn't gone… but it still couldn't change the truth that she will never go back to life again. Fresh memories were just there to remind them of her life. Those were just memories… they would never change anything.

Naruto looked at the porch where Hinata usually sat to read her books. A young Hinata in a yellow kimono appeared there, very concentrated on reading her beloved book. When she was distracted, she tore her gaze away from the page and settled her eyes on him. She smiled sweetly. Naruto looked at her with calm eyes and smiled at her faintly. And then, when the wind blew, his sight of her slowly vanished and left the porch unoccupied.

"Hey, Neji…"

Neji gave him a side glance.

"Did she ever grow up in your mind?" the blond-haired ninja asked.

The Hyuga prodigy was caught off guard with his question. He never saw that coming… and coming from Naruto, he felt an invisible terror build inside him.

"There was not a day I stopped thinking of her. But she never aged… she was still a twelve-year-old child. Even in my dreams, she was still a child… If she were alive… I wonder how she looks like." Naruto said, "Of course, she will still be beautiful… to me, she's the most beautiful girl in the world. For me, she was perfect."

Neji placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder to give him his support, "You really are the most unpredictable ninja in the village. I never imagined that you will love my cousin so much… I couldn't think of someone else who loved her as much as you do."

Naruto looked down.

"I'm sure… Hinata-sama still loves you with her whole heart. I'm sure that she is happy that you always keep her in your heart, Naruto. But she's long gone… she will never be back. Loving her will only cause you more pain and sadness. You will keep on missing her and wishing her back." Neji said, "I'm not saying that you forget about my cousin… but it's been long enough, Naruto. You should move on from the past. You should move on from her death and find your own happiness. I know that's what Hinata-sama would want you to do. She would never want seeing you in pain and sorrow anymore… you have mourned for her long enough."

"Even if you say that, Neji… something still stops me." Naruto said, "I wanted to do that long ago… I wanted to move on… but she shows up in my dreams. She was looking at me. She wanted to tell me something but she remained quiet… there was a look in her eyes that she had something important to say to me. And I still couldn't figure out what that was." He paused, "You might think that I'm insane… but the dreams I had… they felt real."

"I don't think of you that way, Naruto. I don't doubt you… you're still the one to decide. And whatever your decision is, I will support you." Neji said.

"Thanks… Neji."

* * *

In a faraway land, bloods were shed on the grassy land, bushes and tree trunks. Lifeless bodies of ninjas lied down on the ground, leveling the feet of the last man standing and the one involved of the blood-shed. The man took a sheet of paper from his pouch and crumpled it as he unsheathed his katana.

The writings on the paper said, "WANTED: TAMAMORI KURANOSUKE" and a face of a man was drawn.

"Tamamori Kuranosuke, thief from the Land of Sound. Killed a feudal lord, an assassin." The man said in a low voice as he threw the crumpled paper towards the body of the bleeding criminal. He began walking away from the dreadful scene as he was done with his work.

Two more ninjas then appeared in the forest. The one had silver hair, and the other had orange hair.

The ninja carrying a huge blade with the silver hair was amazed of the sight. He arched his brows, "Done already, eh? I guess we missed the fun, Jugo."

The orange-haired man with a bigger built immediately followed the man at fault with the killing.

"Hey, Sasuke! Don't tell me you're going to leave these bodies here again?" Suigetsu said, "Come on. This Tamamori Kuranosuke is a good catch. Three countries are after him and he has a high bounty on his head."

The raven-haired guy ignored his companion's rambling.

Suigetsu sighed. "Fine, fine. I get it. I'm going to take this Tamago-man back to the village and claim the bounty. I'll just catch up with you two later." He took the Criminal on the ground and placed him on his shoulder as if he was carrying a sack.

Uchiha Sasuke continued walking away and was back in his own world again. His sharp, dark eyes were emotionless and unreadable for all reasons. He was unreachable… he was back to the deeper abyss he made since he found out about his elder brother. No one ever reached him… no one ever figured out what lied behind his piercing eyes. Even his companions.

A cold breeze passed by, bringing the scent of blood with it as it traveled.

The lives he took didn't grow less… but he never harmed innocent people.

It has been a year since he became an unknown bounty hunter. When the war was over, even if he decided to be on Konoha's side, he still chose to leave it behind and become a wanderer instead. His brother was gone, Uchiha Obito was gone, his clan was gone… and _she_ was gone. He had no more reasons to continue living in that place anymore. He had forgotten long ago his home.

All of a sudden, an image caught his gaze. At the ground on his left side laid a group of beautiful fresh Azaleas.

He halted on his steps and stared at it longer.

"Sasuke?" Jugo looked at him in perplexity.

Sasuke's gaze at the flowers was firm. He never liked flowers… he never thought of them important. But Azaleas acquired a special place in his heart. Whenever he saw those flowers, it reminded him of that girl. It reminded him of his one and only Hyuga Hinata.

Flashes of her images occurred in his mind. There was not a day he never thought of her. After all these years, it was still her. She never grew old in his thoughts and there was not a day he didn't wish for her to come back.

He changed a lot after all these years. Right after her death… and his brother's death. He grew deeper, colder, and darker. But, he still lived the same life he had…

He still doesn't look at the future; all that he cared about was the past.

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:**

Yes. Neji is alive after the war! I made him live! HE DIDN'T DIEEEEEEEE! I was very affected by his death in the manga and it was coming to the point that I don't want to continue reading it anymore... but... but the next chapter was AWESOME! Kyaaaaaaa~!

The NaruHina I've been waiting for in years finally happened! That lightened me up a little... but Neji's death still breaks my heart.

Oops. Sorry if I'm being a spoiler to those who have not yet read the latest chapters.

Oh, by the way... If you would like... you can play this song in the scene where Naruto visited Hinata in her grave. watch?v=5kQybVJa9AM&list=PL7C76ABDDD5A9DBA6&index=28 –Early Summer Rain. An OST from Naruto Shippuden. :) Also, this song when Naruto and Neji are at the Koi pond up to the last part of this chapter. watch?v=znq4pmDnmRY&list=PL7C76ABDDD5A9DBA6&index=25 –The Rain Stopped. I was listening to wonderful OSTs as I typed the sad scenes. And it worked well for me. All thanks to the fanfic I've been obsessed right now. It's entitled as "**Entwined by Love, Enslaved by Fate" **written by **Codaram. **Thanks to Codaram, I was able to know Chhidori who uploads these awesome OSTs of Naruto. :)))

All right... Happy New Year, everyone! God Bless you all! And please don't forget to review!

**Vocabulary**

**Hai- yes**

**Wakarimashita- understood**

**Yosh- all right **


	15. Chapter 15: A New Mission

**a/n:  
**

*****crawls* I've finally logged in to my account. Oh dear, it's been so long since I've updated! Well, I apologize because I've been really busy with school work. We had this floor painting in school and some Mini-olympics with the other branches of our school as our opponent. And next week will be our foundation day so... schedule is too hectic. I was going to post this new chapter last week but you know... I was trapped with the busy work of a graduating student. *sigh*

So... I give you chapter 15! enjoy!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. Well, except for the OCs in my story.**

* * *

**Chapter 15: A new mission**

"_Where am I?"_

_Naruto's voice echoed in his head as he was walking on a road silently. He looked around but all he could see was bright light. All of a sudden, he felt his body being swallowed by an invisible force, and in a blink of an eye he was delivered in a different place. When his sight was back to normal, he noticed that he was in a familiar place… a place that was very close to his heart._

_The Koi pond at the Hyuga Household._

_And then from behind, he could hear voices. When he turned around, he saw a boy and a girl seated on the porch. His blue eyes softened as he stood there and watched them. _

"_Nee, Hinata… when I was still in the academy, my teacher Iruka-sensei once asked this question to the class, "If you were to give a value in money on the Hokage's greatness, what would it be and why?" He asked that to all of us, especially to me. But I was still young and I didn't know what to answer, so I just said that money can't buy a Hokage's service and love for his country. Do you think that is the correct answer?" asked a boy who was twelve years of age. He had spiky blond hair and he was wearing an orange jumpsuit._

_A girl with notable pale skin and lavender eyes gave him an interested look. She momentarily forgot about her book and placed it aside to devote her attention to what her companion was talking about. _

"_You know that my dream is to be a Hokage. But after all these years I still can't think of the right answer to that question. It still bugs me even now." the young Naruto said in a troubled demeanor, "What do you think, Hinata? Was I correct?"_

_A twelve-year-old Hinata smiled calmly at him, "Naruto-kun, we have our own opinion. For me, your answer is also correct… and I do believe that too. Indeed, a Hokage's greatness cannot be measured by money but for me... he has a value."_

_Naruto gleamed at her curiously, "What is it?"_

"_If I were to give a value in money on a Hokage's greatness, it would be One Ryo." She said simply._

"_One… Ryo?" Disappointment and doubt filled the tone of his voice. "You're joking, aren't you?"_

_Hinata shook her head and proceeded with her explanation, "To me, a Hokage is worth One Ryo because it is the most important value of the currency. One-hundred Ryo will not be completed without One Ryo. One-hundred-thousand Ryo will not be completed without One Ryo. One Million Ryo will not be completed without One Ryo. A Hokage, to rich people or poor people is the same. He is very important like that One Ryo, most of all, to unfortunate people who almost have nothing. And if he were to be worth One Million Ryo, then it would be hard for a nation to be able to find a Righteous Hokage for One Million is a very high price and hard to reach." She paused, "A Good Hokage should be like One Ryo… he must be easy to find." _

_Naruto looked amazed by Hinata's answer. His eyes all wide, "Wow. You're really intelligent, Hinata!" he exclaimed and flashed her his usual childish grin._

_Hinata took her gaze away from him and hammered her eyes down her lap, her face flushing. "Th-That's what I th-think…"_

"_Thanks to you, I no longer feel bugged by that question!" he said excitedly, "Maybe I should start reading books, too so I can be a wise Hokage."_

"_I-It's not about reading books, Naruto-kun. I didn't base my answer from a book, it's from me. And so is your thought about that question." Hinata said, "Experience is still the best teacher. You learn something based from your experience… like when you fall, you learn to rise up again. And based from that experience, you will be more knowledgeable."_

"_You really are something." Naruto said, "You know, I think you should tell those things to your father so he'll be able to notice how smart you are. You're very intelligent. I think your intelligence would be enough to lead this clan." He suggested._

_Hinata shook her head, "I gave up on that a long time ago. I accept with all my heart that it rightfully belongs to Hanabi… not me. I'm contented to serve a wise leader… or a Good Hokage perhaps?" she fiddled her fingers shyly. _

_Naruto scratched the back of his head boyishly and blushed. Silence occupied the two… but when their gazes met again, they started giggling. _

_The seventeen-year-old Naruto stood in front of them and remained unnoticed. He looked at his childish young self and then to the young maiden. He smiled calmly as he listened to her joyful laughter. She was beautiful… cute… there was not a thing that he didn't like about her. Slowly, he began walking closer to her. He was about to reach for her face when abruptly a strong wind flew that got him distracted. When he opened his eyes, his younger self and Hinata was not there anymore. Instead, he was in a forest that he had never been to before. _

_He looked ahead of his path, and there, he saw a figure of a girl._

_It was Hinata in her usual yellow kimono._

_She was yards away from him and was looking at him again with those pleading eyes._

_She looked anxious and troubled._

_Naruto began running towards her, "Hinata… Hinata… tell it to me! Please, speak!" he said desperately. But as he continued running towards the girl, their distance to each other kept getting farther. He didn't give up. He kept running to reach her._

"_Naruto-kun…"_

_For the very first time in his dreams, she finally spoke to him. _

"_Hinata!" he yelled._

_But it was no use. He was not getting nearer to her._

_Much to his horror, she was beginning to disappear._

"_No! Don't go! Hinata!"_

_Everything was getting slower. Naruto hated that his body felt very heavy. He finally heard her speak… and he couldn't afford to lose this chance. Maybe there was something important she ought to tell him before she died… Maybe he had to know something more about her._

_He felt an invisible force swallowing his body again, getting him away from the maiden he wanted to reach. He did everything he could to prevent himself from being taken away, but he couldn't do anything._

_Before he completely disappear, he saw her mouthed few words. _

_Her lips had imparted the words,_

"_Please, Help me."_

* * *

*Knock knock knock*

"Naruto!"

*Knock knock knock!*

"Hey! Naruto! Open this, will ya?!"

Naruto shut his eyes wide open. He immediately got up in an upright position. Beads of sweat were trailing down his face and he was breathing hard. Complete anxiousness was written all over his face.

He gripped his blanket tightly as he remembered what she mouthed in his dream. She was asking for his help. She needed his help.

But why?

Why was she asking for his help?

What was exactly happening to her?

He buried his face on his palms and tried to think right. What if he was just hallucinating? What if he was just imagining things? What if his dreams were just nonsense? But it felt so real. He could feel her… she was not some sort of his hallucination or imagination. She felt so real. But what if everything he thought of was wrong? And what if it's right? What if—

_Aaargghh!_

"NARUTO! Don't make me break this door!"

Came a booming voice from the outside of his apartment. It was Sakura.

"I-I'm up! Just a minute, Sakura-chan!" he tried his best not to sound shaky, he just hoped he didn't sound too obvious.

Five minutes have passed and Naruto was done preparing. He was finished brushing his teeth, taking a brief shower and changing to his usual clothes. He went to open his door to only see a pissed off Sakura.

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest, "I believe that I have informed you yesterday to be prompt? Everyone in the lab is waiting for you already." She scolded.

Naruto scratched the back of his head then briefly eyed on his wall clock. 10.00am. He was supposed to be in the lab at exactly 9.00am.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan. I overslept." Naruto said vaguely with a slight grin on his face.

Sakura sighed. "We dismissed a little early last night in your barbeque party so we won't be late for today. But that seemed quite useless to you, isn't it? Well, I understand. You just came home after all. I think Tsunade-sama will understand also."

Naruto went out of his house apartment and locked his door. He placed the keys inside his pocket and looked down the floor, "I just went to someone…" he whispered.

Sakura didn't quite hear him right. But she could clearly see that the expression on his face was unusual. It was not the typical Naruto she knew. The goofy, energetic one? All she could see was someone she never knew that existed in Naruto. There were times that she hated herself for not being able to reach him. Despite them being teammates for so many years, she still couldn't reach him. Like now.

"Let's go, Sakura-chan. Tsunade-baa-chan might get more upset if we take longer." Naruto said. He was about to leap towards the roof of his neighbor, when Sakura called him.

"Nee, Naruto." She began.

Naruto gave her a look.

"After your check-up… can we spend some time together?" She asked in a serious tone of voice, "We need to discuss something important."

"You can tell it to me now." Naruto said.

"No… this isn't the right place. Let's just go together at the training grounds after your check-up." She said and then leaped first towards the roof. Naruto soon brought up the rear.

* * *

It was a windy day in the mountain where the former Uchiha Hideout used to stand tall. Now, everything that surrounded the Uchiha Hideout was nothing but ruins. There were no more walls and roofs, instead the once huge fortress was an open area. Nothing interesting to find and no one would dare to even set foot on this base. Except for one non-Uchiha woman.

She has dark-green hair which was tied in a simple low bun with few strands falling on the sides of her face, pinkish cheeks due to the warm weather, calm aqua eyes, and fair skin. A simple violet kimono designed with dandelions matched her soothing features. On her arms was a bouquet of fresh white roses and a basket with candles. She was walking in the middle of the ruins all by herself, and came to stop in front of an oddly shaped ruined wall.

Her aqua eyes stared down the grave right before the wall. With a faint smile, she slowly bent down to place the bouquet on the grave. She then placed her basket beside her, took the candles, placed them beside the flowers and lit them up. Her long fingers gently touched the grave. She was staring down at it with full of love and tenderness. But, loneliness hints on her pretty eyes.

"It has been a year, Itachi…" a twenty-three-year-old Shinra said in a soft voice. "Sorry I couldn't visit more frequently. Sorry that I couldn't communicate much with you… I know that you understand that we must still stay on low profile. Just what you have said, the shamans might be cursed… but we mustn't let our guards down. Even without you, we are still capable of defending ourselves and protecting the sacred priestess."

She bit her lower lip and tried to stop her eyes from forming tears. "It's all thanks to you, Itachi. If you didn't come to help us that day… we must have faced a harder life. I won't ever get tired of saying how grateful we are—I am—to have you by our sides."

Then she felt a light weight on her left shoulder. She knew that touch… she loved it most. She slowly turned her head to the owner of the hand and looked up to stare directly at his eyes.

She smiled back as he smiled at her.

"Thank you for coming… Shinra."

She heard her beloved Itachi say. He was wearing gray pants along with gray shirt. He looked very gentle and peaceful. It was giving her a very warm feeling inside.

"Have you been lonely, Itachi?" she asked as she reached for his hand on top of her shoulder.

Itachi shook his head in response. "I am done with my purpose in this world. I am relieved that I was able to fulfill them… and I know that Hinata-san is in good hands." He paused, "It's you who I'm worried about."

"What are you saying? Of course, I'm doing fine…" she said as she averted his gaze from him. "Hinata-sama and Tomoyo-sama are both doing really well… Rika and I are friends. And Shinichi-kun never fails to always make us laugh. I have my friends with me; of course I'm doing fine."

"That's great to hear." Itachi said, "You know, the only thing that I regret is not being able to live with you anymore. I didn't get the chance to say this to you before I died and during the Fourth World Shinobi War. Ever since I faced my death, I have always wished and hoped that my mission in this world isn't over yet. I have always wished that… once everything is over, I could live with you for the rest of my life."

Shinra's shoulders began to shake.

"I just want you to know that… you are very important to me, Shinra. I am willing to sacrifice my life for you because you still loved a person like me despite everything I have done."

Shinra looked back at his eyes as her tears freely spilled.

"Itachi…"

"I know you'll be fine. You're a strong person… I trust in you without any doubt."

Then the wind blew strongly but gently at them.

"I must go now. I am really happy that I'm able to talk to you one last time… Farewell, Shinra." He slowly bent down to her and gave her a sweet peck on her forehead, and then there, his soul disappeared along the gentle wind.

"Thank you for everything, Itachi… I promise… I won't fail you. I will always protect Hinata-sama with my life."

* * *

The Hidden Village of Thorns. The only village protected by a powerful forest of Thorns. Located at the Lightning Country, but lives independently and completely unassociated with the government of the country. It is a very wealthy village, also peaceful. Even though it was an independent village, discrimination is its only big problem. Those who are rich receives an easy and great life, those who are poor must only serve the rich and live a hard life.

That's what Tsuki—Hinata hated about this village.

She could see from the window of the public library three children working for an ill-mannered rich man. The children were carrying all heavy sacks of rice, crops, and other products for the man… they were really pitiful. Children at their age should not be working; they should be studying. But due to the fact that they belonged to a third-class family, they are not allowed to study because they are penniless.

_Greed._

That's also what she hated in this village.

Everyone's priority in life is money. And Hinata had always believed that money is the root of evil, and it is. Most of the rich people here can be easily manipulated by money and they were all quite materialistic. But not everyone rich was impudent. There were few who she knew that sincerely care for unfortunate people. But those who abide the rules shall be punished, as what the ruler of this village stated. The Rich must live a different life than the poor.

Hinata stood up from her seat to transfer to a different table. She couldn't stand watching those poor children anymore. She carried her scrolls and books to a farther library desk and settled there. If she would rate herself, she could say that she belongs to a middle-class family. They were not that rich, but they were not poor. They could still eat three times a day and her simple kimonos were always elegant. It was nothing compared to those rich ladies' kimonos, but it was important for her to always look respectful and elegant in front of other people's eyes. Her long dark blue hair was always combed nicely behind her back, and as much as possible she avoids to wrinkle her clothes. Shinra always worked very hard to sew her new kimonos.

Like now, she was wearing the kimono Shinra made for her just some days ago. It was blue in color with Iris flowers as its design. Her obi was green and was simply arranged to a Hitoe obi by Rika. Her hair remained untied behind her back and her long bangs completely covered her eyes. For all these years living in this village, she had never let anyone see her eyes except for her companions. Due to this mysterious demeanor, the villagers began making up stories that the reason why she was hiding her eyes was because she was cursed.

But Hinata never cared about those stories. Her conscience was clean. And she knew to herself the truth.

"Tsuki-san. You have already read all the books in my library… It still doesn't get you bored by reading it all over again?" the old librarian said.

Hinata, with her hidden eyes, looked at the old man. "I still haven't read all of the books in here, Mizu-oji-san. I still have much to learn." She replied with a smile. "And you know how much I enjoy reading."

Mizu stared at her with a soft and gentle expression. "I wish my new granddaughter would grow to be someone like you, my dear. Wise, kind, beautiful and polite."

Hinata blushed with the librarian's compliments. "Th-thank you."

"Oh, I must leave you for a moment. I still have to sign on some papers that the Lord had sent me." Mizu said as he excused himself from the maiden.

Hinata frowned, "Papers from the Lord? Mizu-san, what do you mean by—"

"There you are!"

A loud feminine voice came inside the tranquil place accompanied by heavy and angry footsteps.

Hinata knew that this would happen.

A woman in her early twenties entered. She has short brown hair and was wearing a simple yellow kimono.

"I was worried sick, Tsuki! You were beside me at the market! And one second I took my eyes off you and looked back, you weren't there. You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"I apologize, Rika-nee-san. I just remembered something that I needed to search… I'm really sorry." Hinata said.

Rika sighed and sat down on a chair, "How many times do I have to tell you that don't you ever do that again? You can't be left alone."

"Come on, Rika-nee-san. Nothing bad happened to me. Look. I'm fine. Mizu-oji-san is here with me and I'm safe. Besides, I can defend myself in case something happens." Hinata answered.

"That's not the point!" Rika exclaimed, "You're driving me crazy!" She massaged her temples. "All right. I know that this argument would lead us to nowhere." She then stood up from her seat and tossed Hinata some grocery bags. "We're going home."

"Eh? But—"

"Yes. We are going home. No more buts. You can continue your research some other day WITH me or Shinra."

Hinata knew that she wouldn't win the argument this time, so she just followed her senpai out and said goodbye to the good old librarian.

.

.

.

As Hinata was walking side by side with Rika on the busy road, she heard a desperate cry of a child.

"I am sorry, master! PLEASE DON'T GIVE ME AWAY!" a poor child begged as he kneeled in front of a rich man and clung on his knees.

The man felt disgusted by the filthy child. He kicked the poor thing away and shouted, "You take your hands off me, you dirty creature! Not only you failed a simple job of carrying me a bag of potatoes, you even dared to put filth on my expensive hakama! SCRAM! I don't need a fool like you!"

The malnourished child, with fresh tears from his eyes, crawled towards his master despite his aching small body. "Please… I promise that I won't fail again. No matter how heavy the sacks I have to carry, I will do it right. Just please… do not throw me away. I need money to buy medicine for my mother!"

"I care not! I'm tired of feeding a useless child like you. Look for a new master!" he yelled and then turned away.

"Master! Give me one more chance!" the child grabbed for the man's feet and clung there as if his life depended on it. "I need money… I promise I won't fail… give me one more chance… I beg you…"

"Get away from me!" The man again shoved the child away and kicked him hard. "I don't need you! Just look at what you've done to my potatoes! They're all dirty because of you!"

The cruel scene continued and no one could do anything to stop it. If they interrupted, they would be punished.

But count Hinata out. She was not afraid to get punished.

"Please, stop that, sir!"

"No, Tsuki, You stay back!" Rika said and pulled Hinata before she could enter the scene. But it was too late, the man had heard her already.

"How can you tolerate this scene, Rika-nee-san? Don't you want to help that poor defenseless child? Why are you afraid?" Hinata said.

"That is none of our business. We must go." Rika said firmly.

"No. That child needs help." Hinata fed back.

"Hey, young girl. How dare you raise your voice to me." The cruel man said to her.

Hinata turned back to the man and bravely faced him. She freed herself from Rika's grasp and walked closer to him. "Please, the child doesn't deserve to be punished like this. Don't you feel sorry for him? He is just an innocent child who was no chance against a man like you. You should be ashamed of yourself for hurting a poor boy."

"What did you say? Who are you to speak to me that way!? Can't you see what that good-for-nothing child did to my potatoes? He destroyed them all. I was going to have a feast tonight in my mansion, do you expect that my guests will eat something like this?"

"It is not the boy's fault." Hinata said fearlessly. "That sack of potatoes is twice as the child's weight. He is also malnourished. And from one look, I could easily determine that he has been working non-stop without eating and developed a fever. He is also dehydrated because of his pale and dry lips. How can you expect for a boy to carry that sack that even a man could have a hard time carrying? It is your fault that you made him carry that."

"You… you're going too far!" the man raised his hand and was about to hurt Hinata, but Rika came to grab his hand tightly.

"Please, do not be too rash. We don't want this to go in a hard way." Rika said in a serious voice.

The man gave Rika an intense glare.

"I apologize for her interruption. We will leave now, so please let us go."

Hinata looked at Rika, not convinced by her companion's decision. She was about to oppose when suddenly the man spoke again.

"I know the two of you…" he said as he forcibly retrieved his hanging hand from Rika's grasp. "You're the assistants of Doctor Tomoyo. Yes! I can't be wrong!"

"What if we are?" Rika replied. "Anyways, just as I told you, sir. We are leaving. We have nothing to do with this so let us pretend that nothing happened."

"But Rika-neesan—"

Rika gave Hinata a glare as if to tell Hinata to stop talking.

"After everything what that girl said to me? Do you think that I will let you leave easily?" the man said, "You know the law, ladies. Those who belong to the lower class have no right to oppose those who belong to the high class. I apparently belong to the first class. And as what the law always stated, those who disobey shall be punished."

"I am not afraid to be punished, sir. I know that I am the one who is right… for the sake of this child, I am not afraid to be punished." Hinata said straightly, "But please, do not hurt him anymore."

"You really are determined to fight for this good-for-nothing trash." The man said with an evil smirk, "All right… I let you go this time. After all, Doctor Tomoyo once cured my wife's illness. You are quite interesting, young lady." He then turned away and walked towards the poor child.

"I'm done with you. Go back to your family, trash." He said and then walked away.

The weak child lifted his head, "Master… no. Please, don't go!" he tried to crawl, but he was too weak. "My mother is sick! I beg of you… give me another chance!"

But it was no use. The rich man had already climbed up his carriage and left for good. He never looked back to the poor child whose life depended on him.

"My mother…" he sobbed, "I need to help her…"

Hinata rushed towards the boy and knelt down beside him. She gently flipped his small body so his back would lie on the ground, and she touched his forehead down to his pale cheeks. "It's worse than I thought. He must have not eaten for days… his fever is too high. He could die from starvation." She said and lifted the boy to her arms.

"We must take him to the house… He wouldn't make it if this continues." She said, "Please, Rika-nee-san."

Rika just nodded. "All right, let's go."

* * *

Hinata and Rika had safely brought the poor child to their house in the middle of the woods. They placed the kid on a small bed and explained the situation to a lady in her early forties.

"Tomoyo-sama… this child is running a very high fever. He is dehydrated and it appears that he has not eaten anything for days." Hinata said.

Tomoyo, a woman with thick black hair which was tied in a low braid and pair of golden eyes, didn't think twice on checking up the child. She was wearing a violet _michiyuki _over a white kimono.

"Leave him to me." She said to her younger companions.

Hinata and Rika left the room and stayed outside to wait.

"I'll prepare a soup for the child." Hinata said and started making her way to the kitchen.

"Wait, Tsuki." Rika took her by the hand and the maiden halted. "You've gone too far today. Have you any ideas of how dangerous it was?"

Hinata looked back to Rika with her eyes hidden behind her bangs. "This is the problem, Rika-nee-san. Even you? You're afraid of standing up against those first class people." She said calmly. "All our life, we lived as servants and pets for them. They treat us as if we are not human… there is no equality even if we are all equal to God's eyes. I think it is time to change this way of life. It's time that we stand up against the law."

"But it is dangerous. And that is not your job." Rika said, "Even if you're right, do you think that will change anything? We are powerless against the Lord; against the first class people. They could kill us anytime they want. Even if we sacrifice our lives to change everything in this nation; it will still be useless. We live in the middle class… aren't you satisfied with that? We are not treated like pets anymore."

"How can you say that, Rika-nee-san?" Hinata frowned, "How can you say that it's not my job? Is it because we're only a nurse? Nee-san… we're a part of this nation. It's true that we are living a better life compared to the first time we got here, but what about those people who are still stuck in the third-class? We may have been able to escape from that life, have you ever wondered how the third class continue living under this kind of government? How they strive to survive? Just like that boy." She paused, "We must do something to stop this sanity. It is not the way how God wants us to live.

I don't want to hide anymore… I don't want to keep running away. We must not be led by those rotten people."

Hinata then began walking inside the kitchen to make soup for the boy.

Rika was then left alone standing at the living room.

"I'm home!" then the sliding door slid open to reveal a ten-year-old boy wearing simple gray hakama, he was carrying a bucket containing four fishes. He had spiky black hair and brown skin. "Ah, Rika-nee-chan. You're back! How's your day at the market?"

Rika sighed and sat down at a Zabuton as she massaged her temples, "Don't ask."

Shinichi just shrugged, "Fine. I'll just ask Tsuki-nee." He then walked inside the kitchen to accompany the other girl.

"Ugh… My head hurts." Rika said under her breath.

* * *

2.00PM Konoha Gakure.

Naruto and Sakura were both inside the Hokage Office, standing before the working desk of the Godaime to hear the results of the examination.

Tsunade was holding a file which contained the report of the lab. She began narrating it to the two. "According to the Head Doctor's report, nothing unusual was seen in the path of your chakra. Neither damages nor holes from the severe power of the Kyubi appeared. You are far from having any illness or weakness… and..." she flipped to another page, "Your nerves seem fine."

"I told you, baa-chan. The toad elders took good care of me! Nothing to worry about." Naruto said.

"But some muscle tissues on your chest and stomach have low possibility for complete recovery. The attack from the Juubi will leave a mark—a huge scar. Even with the Kyubi's power, it might not be able to heal it anymore. If it could, then it must be gone a long time ago. I strongly require that you take it a little easy starting from now on. Especially when you use the Kyubi's chakra… your unhealed muscles will react to your power and will burn if excessively used." Tsunade looked directly at Naruto's eyes, "I'm telling you. Take it easier. Do you get that?"

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto said casually.

Tsunade just sighed and then went back to the reports. "Your bones are fine… there are no problems with your cardiac muscles, your respiratory organs are both in good shape… So far, no negative results with your body system. You're fine."

"Of course, I'm fine! This is Uzumaki Naruto-sama you're talking about." Naruto let out a proud guffaw.

The Godaime compiled the papers back to the envelope. "You're done for today. Both of you are dismissed." She said.

"Master? But what about our research?" Sakura asked.

"You can take the day off today, Sakura. Among all of us, you're the one who's working the hardest. Ino and I will take care of the rest for now." Tsunade said.

"Ah, _hai. Arigatou gozaimasu_."

Then the two excused themselves from the Godaime.

.

.

.

Naruto and Sakura eventually reached the training grounds. It was quiet… only the rustling of the grass and chirping of the birds filled the place that gave a soothing sound to both of their ears as they remember different unforgettable memories.

Sakura walked ahead and stopped before a wooden pole, she looked down at it and smiled. "I remember this one. This was where you were tied during our first test with Kakashi-sensei. That time, I really thought that you were lame."

Naruto gave her a childish glare, "So you just brought me here just to remind me of how loser I am when we were still kids? You want to tease the Great Hero of the Village?"

"Hmmm… let's just say that it's like that." Sakura giggled.

"Well, thanks a lot." Naruto said in sarcasm.

"I'm just kidding, silly." Sakura added. "Of course… I just want to bring back some important memories. You know how important this place is to the both of us." She said and the smile on her face completely disappeared as she looked down at the other wooden pole beside the one in front of her.

All of a sudden, Sasuke's child figure appeared there, sitting on the ground with a bento in his hands. "Those were the memories…" she said in a soft, solemn voice. She could remember how happy she was back then… it was her very first training with the man of her dreams. How could she not look forward to it? She was really expecting to develop her relationship with Sasuke… all her life, she never got his attention. In the end, he only thought of her as an annoying person. Still, memories will remain as memories no matter how much she cared.

Naruto stayed silent, his eyes wandering the ground.

"Naruto… I know how important Sasuke-kun is to you. I know that you still want to bring him back. But… I think that it's better for you to stop now." She said as she turned to face him.

Naruto lifted his head and stared down to her worried green eyes. "What?"

"For all these years, we kept on chasing after him. But did he show any interest in coming back to us?" Sakura said, "His clan was massacred right in this very village, his brother is dead and his fiancé… is long dead." She paused and endured the quench that her chest felt. "During the war, he chose to fight side by side with us instead of joining with Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito… and the village… the village gave him one more chance to come back to us. But he still chose to leave."

"Are you trying to say that I have to abandon Sasuke? I have to abandon my best friend?" Naruto had a hurt look in his eyes.

"We must learn to let go, Naruto!" Sakura replied, "He had made his choice. And that is to never come back to us. He was the one who abandoned us… he was the one who left us. If he wanted to return to this village, he should have when the village gave him the chance during the war! You must accept that Sasuke-kun forgot about us a long time ago."

Naruto shook his head. "You're wrong… I'll bring him back, Sakura-chan. I'm going to fulfill my promise to you!"

"You're being unreasonable!" Sakura snapped, "Don't you know how much it's hurting me knowing that all your sufferings about Sasuke-kun are caused by me? I regret making you promise that you'll bring Sasuke-kun back… I want to take back all of what I said to you that day you were assigned to be on the team for retrieving him." She tried her best to hold back her unspoiled tears, "Naruto… I beg you… please, forget about that non-sense promise. I am taking back everything I said! I never want to see Sasuke-kun again… we should stop looking for him and let him live his own life."

"H-He's my best friend… I can't lose him…"

"That's the point. If you really think of him as your best friend… you must respect his decisions. He had proven himself that he will never attack the village. He proved it during the war. It's time, Naruto. We must leave him alone. That's what's best for you, me, and Kakashi-sensei. Sasuke-kun doesn't need us anymore. You have to accept that…"

"For all these years… I've worked so hard to fulfill that promise of a lifetime. I didn't want to fail again… I really wanted to bring Sasuke back to the village—to you. I didn't want you to feel the pain of somebody leaving you and never coming back no matter what you do, Sakura-chan." Naruto said.

"Naruto… I'm not a child anymore. So are you." Sakura replied, "I know you're still affected of Hinata-san's death… but we have to move on. We have to stay strong… We can't forever live in the past. Our life goes on! Even if it's hard to move on, we must! Even if it means that we have to forget about Sasuke-kun… we must. He had already forgotten about us."

Naruto remained quiet. He just glared at Sakura with pure pain written in his eyes. He immediately spun around and left the training grounds.

"Naruto wait—"

"Don't follow me!"

As Sakura was about to go after him, an invisible barrier occurred that effectively stopped her from chasing after her friend. She just stood there, watching him run away from his memories.

* * *

"This is hopeless!"

Miki, the woman with beauty and brains and the ever loyal librarian who devotes her whole perseverance to the Godaime, had just closed the thousandth book she accurately scanned. The whole day, starting from 4am in the morning, all what she did was scan books for she had remember something very important. She even cursed herself for not being able to remember it earlier for all these years.

She glanced at her wall clock and saw that it was already 7pm in the evening, and she hadn't eaten anything yet for the whole day.

"No. I can't give up now! I know I've read it somewhere." Miki said to herself as she took another book from the floor and began doing her work.

Hours passed by again for the hardworking librarian, still having no progression of her research. But she didn't lose hope… she continued to scan for books until she had seen something at the corner of her eye. She focused her gaze on the object that caught her attention… it was an old looking scroll that was partially hidden in the corner of the shelf. She abruptly stood up from her desk and ran towards it, not minding the books she stomped and tripped over. She took the scroll to her hands and rolled it open. Her big black eyes widened.

"This is it… I've found it!"

Hokage Office. 8.30pm.

Tsunade laid her back on her chair as she crossed her legs and began flipping the documents of her research. She sighed exhaustedly, "Still no development." She said.

She closed Hanabi's files and placed it back on top of her desk. For these 5 years, she never stopped searching for a cure of how Hanabi's curse would disappear. But for all these years, she had made no progression. Like what happened today. She and Shizune were just finished conducting another experiment on the young Hyuga and she couldn't give Hiashi greater news than saying that there are no signs that Hanabi is in danger. Yet.

Disrupting her deep thoughts, a brief knock from her door came over.

"Permission to enter, Godaime." Said Shizune from the door.

"Come in." Tsunade said and then her assistant came inside with a man accompanying her.

Shizune and the man bowed to give respect to the Hokage before either of them spoke.

"I bid to you a delightful evening, Godaime-sama." The man wearing monk clothes and carrying a long golden staff with him said, "I am Keigo of the Sacred Forest, I have come as what I have said in the telegram."

"I've been expecting you, Keigo-san." Tsunade replied. "I have already appointed the Jounin I chose to escort you to your destination. They are just waiting for your signal."

"I apologize, Godaime-sama for I have forgotten to mention an important detail in my telegram." Keigo said, "I heard that the Great Hero of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto, has returned a few days ago. I would humbly ask for your kind consideration for I want the Hero of this village to be the one accompanying me in my journey."

"Uzumaki Naruto?" Tsunade asked.

The middle-aged monk nodded, "Is that possible?"

"It is fine. The Hero of the Konoha just returned and I still haven't given him missions. I could assign him to escort you to the Land of Lightning."

Before they could continue their discussion, someone unexpectedly barged into the Hokage Office.

"Hokage-sama, I have found it!" Miki ran towards the Hokage's desk and placed the old scroll on top of it. Before she could let Tsunade speak, she opened the scroll and pointed her finger on it several times, much for her excitement. "This… This! This will help us cure Hanabi-chan!"

Tsunade interestingly looked at the contents of the old scroll. She read the writings in a minute and her face lightened up. "The Scroll of Energy Detachment… that ancient scroll could lift the curse."

Miki nodded. "Yes. The ancestors of the Priests had made that scroll for over Five-hundred years ago… and I have an idea of where we could find the original manuscript of how to make the Scroll of Energy Detachment."

Tsunade let the intelligent librarian continue. "Godaime-sama, I have once read that this scroll could be found in the Land of Lightning. Its great inventor hid the original manuscript in a very protected village so no one could easily find it. And that is in the Hidden Village of Thorns."

"The Hidden Village of Thorns… The only village protected by forest of thorns, only those who can find the right way can get inside. Despaired Souls are forever trapped…" Tsunade said.

"The Scroll of Energy Detachment in the Hidden Village of Thorns? That is where my destination is. But if I might say, the Scroll of Energy Detachment is no ordinary scroll. Only the Sacred Priestess, and chosen Head Monks, and Priestesses could only make another copy of that. And with the state of the Sacred Forest now, no one has the ability to produce one of those again." Keigo said. "Even Head Monk Ike could not."

"I have done everything I could to complete this search. And now that I've found a lead, I will not let this slip off my hands. I am very much willing to do everything I could to make that Scroll." Tsunade said, "Shizune. I am assigning Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura, Nara Shikamaru and Uzumaki Naruto in this B-rank mission. The four of them will look for the scroll and protect Keigo-san. Summon them first thing in the morning." She commanded.

"Yes, Master!"

"Miki." Tsunade turned to the librarian, "You've done well. Thank you."

"It is my pleasure, Tsunade-sama." Miki smiled and bowed.

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:**

****yay! I wonder what will happen next? I do hope that I could find time to post the other chapter. I just stopped by to see how my laptop's doing today... I'm going back to the stressful reality again.

God Bless, everyone!~

Jaa nee!

**VOCABULARY**

**Hai- yes**

**Arigatou gozaimasu- thank you very much**


	16. Chapter 16: To the Ibara Gakure

**a/n:**

Just as I thought. I couldn't update sooner. I'm very sorry! This month has started a little rough for me. And much busier than I thought. I was "supposed" to update this on my birthday which was last February 5, but that was also quite a busy day. I didn't get a break... :( But then I just want to spread my happiness despite the stressful days I'm facing...

Last February 2, 2013... the result of my college exam was out. And... thank, God. I PASSED! Yipeeeee!

I passed the entrance exam of the most prestigious college university in my country. It's like the Harvard of US. I'm... I'm really happy that I made it!~

So, in behalf of my invisible mini-celebration... (Still can't celebrate bec. of the hectic sched) I give thee...

Chapter 16~!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

**Chapter 16: To the Hidden Village of Thorns**

"Thank you very much for your kindness, young lady…" said by a sickly elder woman who was lying on the futon. She was pale and skinny but the glow in her eyes was warm and hopeful.

Hinata flashed her a sweet smile. "You will feel a lot better soon if you follow everything I have said, Kumiko-san. I will come back tomorrow to give you another check-up." She said.

"Oh, you do not need to… We don't have money." Kumiko said.

"Do not worry about that. I want to help with the best I can." Hinata said sincerely. She then took a small white bowl in her hand and placed the rim to her patient's lips and gently made her drink the herbal medicine. "I have made enough of your herbal medicine for three days. Remember to always drink this twice a day so you will have a fast recovery. And do not forget to eat decent meals. Understood, Kumiko-san?"

The lady nodded and then smiled calmly, "Thank you for everything, Tsuki-san. Not only you have saved my son from his cruel master… but you have also given me medicine for my health. You have such golden heart, young lady. I am so glad that people like you who give importance to someone like us still exist."

"Everyone is equal to the eyes of God. No one must be superior and no one must be inferior towards others. In our nation… people do not see that. This is the reason why inequality reins the whole village. They treat us as trashes… but we are also the same human being like them." Hinata said with a bitter look on her face, "Who am I to be someone like those people? Who am I not to treat everyone equally? God has been fair to us ever since… and we must also be fair to Him and to everyone."

"We may be a free nation… but to change our way of life? It is hopeless." Kumiko said. "This is our destiny… this is our fate. And it is inevitable."

Then, a young boy came back along with an elder boy, carrying a sack of rice and nutritious foods.

Kumiko's eyes widened, "Tohru! Where did you get those foods?"

Tohru placed the goods on a small table and Shinichi brought the sack near the kitchen. "Kaa-chan! This is all thanks to Tsuki-neechan! She gave us enough Ryo for the whole week and that will give me time to look for a new master to serve."

Kumiko looked at Hinata, "Oh, Tsuki-san… This is too much. We're becoming nuisance…"

Hinata shook her head, "It's fine, Kumiko-san. I want to help your family. I want to share my blessings to kindhearted and hardworking people like you and Tohru-kun. Kumiko-san is a kind mother that cares for her family even if it risks her own health… and Tohru-kun is a loving son who would do anything for the sake of his mother. Even though most of the villagers could see that, they choose to avoid. And I do not want to do that." She explained, and then she turned to Tohru with a warm expression on her face, "Nee, Tohru-kun. Do you want to study?"

Tohru eagerly said, "Yes!"

"I know someone who will be willing to educate children like you. I could talk to him and tell him about you and your mother. I am sure he will be delighted. He may be in line of those rich people, but he is not like them. He is kind at heart and treats everyone nicely." She said.

"Is that true, nee-chan? I can study while I work?" He asked.

"Children at your age must study. You are not in the right age to work yet." Kumiko said, "I am sorry that I couldn't make you study, Tohru… I am sorry that you are the one who is working instead of me. I promise that when I'm all better, you will enjoy your youth."

Hinata agreed with what Kumiko said, "I will ask him if he could help you, Kumiko-san. Recently, he is short of workers… I will ask if he could take you in." she said.

Kumiko's face brightened, "Are you sure about that?"

"_Hai_." Hinata replied, "But first, you must get well. Take your medicines and eat food daily. Tohru-kun. You must keep an eye on your mother to make sure she follows everything I said."

"Yes, nee-chan!"

Hinata stood up from the wooden chair, "I must go now and talk to Mizu-oji-san about you and your mother. Please, take good care of yourself." She then bowed at the mother-and-child and walked towards the exit of the small house, where Shinichi is waiting.

Tohru saw her off with her companion and thanked her again for the hundredth time.

Shinichi and Hinata waved goodbye at them and journeyed up the town to the "Rich" People's Homes.

* * *

Just as the sun was high up behind the cloudy sky, Hinata and Shinichi arrived in front of a huge house beside the only library in the village. She stood with formality at the front gate as other rich people give her skeptical looks as they passed by. As usual, Hinata looked noble with her purple kimono which had white _michiyuki _on top of it. Her eyes remained hidden from anyone's sight, even from the young Shinichi who was secretly trying to take a peek of her mysterious and never seen before eyes.

They both straightened up as a servant came to greet them.

"Good day, Tsuki-san." The servant said and then bowed, "Can I be of any help? I am sorry that the Library must be closed today." She said as she opened the gate for the guests.

Hinata and Shinichi bowed back, "Could I meet with Mizu-oji-san? Is he not busy today?"

"The master? Oh, I will ask for him. Just a minute, please." The servant said and went back inside. Hinata and Shinichi brought up the rear.

They were brought to the living room and were asked to wait there for the master. Hinata sat on the zabuton and she beckoned Shinichi. The ten-year-old child seemed to be very amused of the place. Mizu-oji-san's house was far different than what they had. It was huge, had expensive furniture, gorgeous paintings and other notable items that only rich people could afford. Hinata could see the look on Shinichi's eyes that he was amazed but at the same time jealous of what kind of place Rich people live in.

Hinata placed a hand on top of Shinichi's shoulder, "Be thankful of what we have. We are blessed." She whispered to him. Shinichi nodded.

After a minute or two, Mizu-oji-san came into the room.

"Ah, Tsuki-chan! Good day to you. Also to you, Shinichi-kun." The old man said with a warm smile on his face.

Hinata and Shinichi both stood up and bowed at the owner of the house. "A pleasant day to you, Mizu-oji-san."

The three sat down after the greetings and started to have their discussion.

"So what brings you two here?" the old man asked, "Oh no… could it be that you were upset because I had to close the library for the meantime?"

"It's not that, Mizu-oji-san. We both came here for another reason." Hinata answered.

"Oh? Then what is it?"

"Actually… I have another request, oji-san." Hinata said.

The old man smiled, "What can I do for you then, Tsuki-chan? Anything as long as I can do."

"Well… yesterday I met this boy named Tohru. He was a servant in the house of the tax collector." Hinata began.

"Ah the tax collector. Dear, he has a foul attitude." The old man commented.

"Yes… while Rika-neesan and I were on our way home to the woods, we bumped into him and the child. He was torturing Tohru-kun… making him work and hurting him. I felt really bad for the child. He was working so hard in order to have money for his mother's medicine. But the tax collector chose to abandon him." Hinata said, "I wanted to help Tohru-kun… so I told him that Mizu-oji-san was teaching children who belong to the third-class. Can I request for you to take Tohru-kun as one of your students, too? And, I have heard that you were looking for a worker who could help you in the library… Tohru-kun's mother is willing to work once she got better."

"Tsuki-chan… you know I can't decline any of your requests." The old man chuckled, "Of course. I will warmly accept the child and his mother. They can come by anytime next week when I'm done dealing with some business matters."

Happiness and gratefulness filled Hinata's and Shinichi's face.

"You really are the best, _ossan_!" Shinichi exclaimed, "You should be the Lord of this village!"

"Thank you very much, Mizu-oji-san." Hinata said and bowed, "Tohru-san and his mother will definitely be delighted to hear this."

And then all of a sudden, the old man's wife politely interrupted the conversation.

"I apologize for interrupting, but dear, we must go. The carriage has arrived." His wife, Aki, said.

"Already?" Mizu said and then he turned back to his visitors, "I'm sorry but I must leave for an event in the Lord's mansion."

"Oh, we understand, Mizu-oji-san. We must also return to Tohru-kun's house to tell him about this wonderful news." Hinata said.

"All right. Come on with us as we go outside." Mizu said and then they all went out.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke has a very high skill of ignorance. Despite the extremely annoying mouth of his companion Suigetsu, he remained unmoved and uninterested as he sat on the barrels of the sailing ship. His black cloak and hood covering his eyes, making him appear very suspicious and mysterious to the other passengers. Jugo was usually quiet at one of the railings of the ship, and Suigetsu was his usual self also.

Well, not everyone in the ship had the same skill of ignorance as Sasuke's.

Because of Suigetsu's foul mouth… the other passengers which seemed to be bandits, got pissed off and began a fight.

"You better shut the hell up, moron! You're getting into my nerves!" One of the bandits shouted as he readied himself to attack the white-haired swordsman.

Suigetsu grinned, "Finally. Some bugs I can play with to get rid of my boredom."

A huge ruckus came on the deck. The other passengers ran and hid somewhere safe from the fight. The bandits sheathed their own weapons as they all charged towards Suigetsu in unison. The swordsman seemed to be outnumbered but he remained confident for he knew that he was way stronger in spite of the combined forces of his opponents.

Jugo stayed at his spot, just watching Suigetsu deal with the bandits.

And Sasuke was still on the barrel, not even showing the least attention he could give.

He closed his hidden sharp eyes and went to the deepest part of his memories again.

* * *

_5 years ago…_

_A twelve-year-old Uchiha Sasuke was seated in one of the rooms in the Hyuga Household. From his spot, he had a great view of the household's beautiful garden. It gave him a relaxing atmosphere as he waited for the maiden whom he went and wanted to see. After a few minutes or so, he heard light footsteps from the hallway. And he didn't have to guess who was arriving._

_Of course, it was her._

_The shoji door slid-open to reveal the firstborn of the Hyuga family—she had dark blue hair, fair skin, calm lavender eyes and beautiful face. She looked noble even with her simple formal kimono. Sasuke had never seen such an innocent maiden before. Much that he hated to admit it, he couldn't believe that he fell for someone like her. She was fragile, timid, shy, soft-spoken… she was not even a ninja. But he chose her without any doubt. He was clear with these feelings since the day she came to rescue him from the darkness and sufferings his elder brother trapped him into. No one else was able to get him out of that except her… So he didn't lose hope. He didn't lose hope for her to feel the same way towards him._

"_Sasuke-san!" a twelve-year-old Hinata stared at him with wide eyes. She quickly went beside him and placed her hand on his forehead, "Are you sure you're fine with moving? The doctor from the hospital said you should stay in bed for one week… and you were having a very high fever yesterday. You should've stayed in the hospital…"_

_Sasuke smirked inwardly, "So you could talk straight after all." He said. _

"_E-Eh?" Hinata's face turned crimson red as she brought her hand back from Sasuke's forehead. _

"_I'm fine." Sasuke said, "And how could you expect me to lie on bed for a whole week after everything that happened?" _

"_Sasuke-san…" Hinata looked at him with serious concern. "What did really happen? Why was your mind trapped in that very… h-horrible place?"_

_Sasuke looked down, "After five years… I saw that man. I saw that man whom I wanted to kill. He was after my teammate's life and I fought with him. But I was easily defeated." He tightened his curled fists. _

"_Uchiha… Itachi…?" Hinata said, "He's the man I saw…" she whispered._

"_He's so far. He's still ahead of me… no matter what I do, he's still stronger." He said with full of disappointment in himself. "I still can't avenge my clan. I'm useless. I'm weak."_

_Hinata reached for his trembling hands, and placed another hand on his cheek. She stared directly to his eyes full of hatred, "Don't be too hard on yourself… you've done what you could, Sasuke-san. I know nothing of the pain of losing your family—your entire clan… I don't know how your hatred grew inside your heart that you care for nothing else but avenge your clan and kill your brother." She said softly, "But for me… I think you should stop."_

_Sasuke glared at her._

"_You will be forever trapped in that darkness… in that hatred. Even if you successfully killed your brother and avenged your clan, it still won't change the fact that they will never be back. It is you who will still suffer." Hinata said, "You still have a family… your brother is still alive. I believe that there is a reason for everything that's happened and why your brother did that to your clan. He killed everyone… but let you live. There must be a reason, right? If he wanted to massacre your entire clan, he should've also killed you."_

"_Why… Why are you telling me these things? Who do you think you are?" Sasuke said coldly._

"_It is my responsibility to care for you. I… I-I am your future wife." Hinata replied, "Your sufferings are also my sufferings. Your sadness is also my sadness. Your pain… is also my pain." She paused, "I want what's best for you… and I think that S-Sasuke-san must stop living in the past. You should start looking at the present and future—not the past."_

_There was pure silence in the room. They just stared at each other's eyes. And then all of a sudden, Sasuke's closed fists opened and held Hinata's hand on his cheek. Before the maiden knew it, Sasuke had buried his face on her shoulder._

_Hinata's whole body stiffened at the sudden contact. She didn't know what to do or what to say._

_As Sasuke felt the girl planning to scoot away, he held her hand tighter and pulled her closer. He needed this. He needed her. He wanted her warmth._

_Why was he feeling that… she was far important to him now than avenging his clan?_

_Is it possible that… he could forget all what his brother did?_

* * *

The seventeen-year-old Uchiha Sasuke felt very foolish as he remembered what he thought after everything Hinata had told him that time. He nearly decided to forget about revenging his clan because of her… but he wasn't able to do it. It was too late when he found out everything about his brother. He was too late to know the real reason why his brother did that. He regretted it all… he should've listened to Hinata's words. His brother was already dead when he discovered about the truth behind Itachi's mission of massacring the entire clan.

She was right. In the end… he was still the one who's left suffering.

Itachi was dead… and Hinata was dead. He had nothing left.

He was nothing now but an empty shell.

All of a sudden, he felt a heavy load on his shoulders. Then a deafening voice echoed in his ears.

"HA! Look at that, Sasuke! The Wanted Bandits from the Land of Iron! We can surrender them to the next village and claim the price." Suigetsu, with his arms on Sasuke's shoulder, exclaimed.

Sasuke never liked being in close contact with anyone. Especially with the damned loud-mouthed sharkboy. He harshly shoved Suigetsu's arm and walked away from him in a slightly pissed manner.

"Che. In a bad mood again." Suigetsu said. "Hey. No matter what you do, that girl will never be back. She's dead."

In a blink of an eye, Sasuke withdrew his katana from his case and pointed it towards Suigetsu. The white-haired guy also held out his sword to defend himself for any attacks from the pissed Uchiha.

"Keh. I should've done this a long time ago to get your attention. I can't believe you'll get hyped up by just that." Suigetsu chuckled.

"Shut your mouth." Sasuke threatened. "Don't you ever say that again or else you'll regret it."

It was time for Jugo to enter the scene, and he stood in between them and stopped the rising tension.

"You two. You must stop this." Jugo said.

Sasuke then unsheathed his katana and just walked away… far away from Suigetsu so his katana won't be covered by blood so soon.

"Hn. Just stating the fact here." Suigetsu mumbled.

* * *

11.15am at the Hokage Mansion.

Naruto, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Sakura and Shizune were all walking at the hallway towards the Godaime's office. All of them were quiet. Sakura was just walking beside Shizune, not saying a single word. And the weirdest thing was Naruto wasn't speaking too. It was his first mission ever since he had returned to the village. The Naruto that Shikamaru and Kakashi knew was that he's always hyped up whenever he's given a mission to accomplish. But that attitude didn't show at all.

Naruto was acting weird. Sakura was acting odd.

_Something definitely happened. _Kakashi thought to himself.

In a few seconds, Shizune knocked at the Hokage's door and they were delivered in. There was Tsunade, who was seated behind her desk, along with her were the monk and the librarian.

The team bowed in respect for the Hokage and then she went direct to the point of their mission.

"This is Keigo. A noble monk of the Sacred Forest." Tsunade began, "I hereby give you the mission to escort him to the Land of Lightning, to the Hidden Village of Thorns. This mission is a double purpose." She then instructed for Kakashi to come forth and then she gave him the old scroll that Miki found.

"As you all know, I've been working on a research for several years now. Last night, Miki discovered something in the library that would help us succeed in our research. And that is the Scroll of Energy Detachment."

"Scroll of Energy Detachment?" Sakura asked.

"Allow me to explain." Miki said, "The Scroll of Energy Detachment was established by an ancient priest 500 years ago. It is used to free one's soul from a connection from the other soul. In Hanabi-sama's case, her life is entangled with the shaman's. If Hanabi-sama died, the shaman will die. And if the shaman will die, Hanabi-sama would also, too. We are still not sure if the scroll would work efficiently… but this is our only lead in saving Hanabi-sama."

"And that scroll is said to be found in the Ibara Gakure. Your mission is to escort Keigo there, and bring the Scroll here. Kakashi, you will be the captain of this team. I know you've been in the Ibara Gakure once, you must again overcome the forest of thorns in order to enter. Team, you must not fail this mission, understood?"

"_Hai_." They all fed back.

"Don't worry, baa-chan. We will definitely bring that scroll to our village for Hanabi-chan. I won't fail again." Naruto said in a serious tone of voice.

Tsunade nodded. "I'm giving you one hour to prepare for your departure. After one hour, go to the shore of Konoha for I have prepared a ship for you there to take you to the Land of Lightning."

"I will meet you at the shore then." Keigo said.

"You are now dismissed." Tsunade said and then the team bowed down at her and left for the preparation.

"Pardon me, but I must also leave, Hokage-sama." Keigo said.

"Yes. Yes. Shizune, please escort him out." Tsunade said and her assistant obeyed her.

Shizune and Keigo were both out, leaving Miki and the Hokage in the office.

"Godaime-sama… would they be fine? The Forest of Thorns is… a very dreadful place. Only few are capable of overcoming its nightmares and darkness." Miki said in a concerned tone of voice, "Would Kakashi-san and the others be all right?"

"Miki. Kakashi got in the village and made it out alive. Sakura, Shikamaru and Naruto are no ordinary ninjas. Sakura is my apprentice, she is a strong and wise medical ninja. Shikamaru has an IQ of over 200. And Naruto is the jinchuuriki of the Kyubi. This mission will be a lot easier for them compared to what they've gone through during the War." Tsunade said, "I trust in them. You should, too."

Miki looked out the window and saw Kakashi and his team walking at the streets. Sakura, Shikamaru and Naruto were walking ahead and the silver-haired jounin brought the rear. The librarian looked down at him and brought her curled fist to her chest. Pure anxiousness was written in her black eyes.

Kakashi then looked up to the window and saw her. He halted on his steps and stared at her longer.

_Be careful, Kakashi-san._ Miki thought to herself. And it's as if Kakashi clearly heard what she thought so he responded with a nod. Then, he walked away.

In the afternoon, the team was scheduled to set off.

* * *

In the evening at the mansion on the small separated island of the Lord in the _Ibara Gakure_, a feast was being held. The rich residents of the village attended the gathering conducted by the well-respected Lord of the Village. All the guests wore formal attires and expensive kimono; not only that, being as greedy and skeptical as they are, fake smiles and superior looks were exchanged. All of them wanted to impress the Lord's eyes and were intending to get a higher position than what they have. They were never contented.

The Lord knew about this. But he was still more powerful than they were.

"Ah, a pleasant evening it is, Lord Hiromitsu." A gentleman wearing an elegant hakama approached him.

"I hope that you are having the best time." Lord Hiromitsu said.

The man smiled, "Of course, I am. Who would not be? On top of all, I am very honored for being invited in this royal ceremony." He said, "Oh, Lord, May I ask. What are your plans regarding the demolition of Mizu Miyami's library? I've been searching for him and it seems he still hadn't arrived. Do you think he escaped from your meeting tonight?"

Lord Hiromitsu chucked, "Mizu Miyami is not that kind of man, especially when it's his library that matters. I've known him for so long."

"What if he doesn't want to accept your offer? They said that Mizu's library was passed on from generations to generations. Do you think he will easily give the treasure of his family up?" the man asked.

"In our nation… few are wise and well-educated. Only those who belong to the first-class are fortunate to be educated. But Mizu's library is opened to all people… The tax collector reported to me earlier that a few days ago, there was a woman who belongs to the second-class stood up against him to defend a poor little boy. She was said to be fearless and she seemed to be intelligent from the way she spoke." The Lord explained, "She's always seen going to Mizu's library and spending most of her time reading and studying there. If that continues, there is a very huge possibility that the villagers will begin imitating her deeds. They will learn how to stand up against us. They will not be easily manipulated anymore."

The man nodded, "That is true. And that would be a very huge problem for all of us."

"No matter what happens, I have to extinguish that library… in the easy way or the hard way." The Lord said under his breath. He took a bite on his sushi and drank his sake.

The man was carefully looking at the Lord as the Lord was eating his food. A small smile formed in the corner of the man's lips.

All of a sudden, the trays and dishes crashed on the floor followed by the guests' screams.

"My husband! What is happening to you?!" a lady knelt down on the floor to aid her husband. He was on the floor and vomiting. Later on, his wife was doing the same.

The guests felt disgusted. And seconds just passed by, they were all feeling nauseated. Ladies and men were all pale and weak as they began vomiting blood and the food they ate.

The Lord stood up from his seat as he witnessed what has been happening in his mansion. "What madness is this?!" he shouted, "Kohaku! Kohaku—" Hiromitsu called for his right-hand to resolve the sudden conflicts, but all of a sudden, he felt something trigger inside him. He fell down to the ground and began throwing up. He was about to ask for help to the man he was speaking with, but when he looked up, the man abruptly transformed into a ninja.

"Hiromitsu-sama! Hiromitsu-sama!" the Lord' attendee rushed for his aid, but the ninja took Hiromitsu from the ground and placed a dagger centimeters away from his neck. Kohaku quickly halted on his steps upon sensing the danger.

"Stay where you are. One wrong move… you'll say goodbye to your beloved leader." The mysterious spy said.

"What is it that you need? We-we will offer you anything in exchange of the Lord's life! We will give you anything just let him go! Is it gold? Money? You can take how much you want!" Kohaku said.

The spy chuckled, "Hn. I don't need your stinking money. I came here for something more valuable." He said, "Hey, Hiromitsu-sama… I bet you know what I mean. I was the one who placed the poison in the food your guests are eating… and I'm the only one who has the antidote, as well as my companions. So, if you want your people to live and save your godforsaken life, tell me where the Scroll of Energy Detachment is." He whispered.

The Lord continued coughing out blood, "I-I'd never—"

"Oh really? Well, that's a pity, We can still look for the scroll in your mansion without your help… after all, our sabotage was a success." He laughed evilly.

After a matter of seconds, the Lord felt another pain in his body. And that pain was strong enough to change his mind.

"A-All right! I-I'll show—you—where the scroll—is." He said between his gasps.

The spy smirked, "Very well then…" he looked at his other companions inside the room and signaled them to follow him to where the Lord was taking him to. He instructed for the Lord's attendee not to follow them, or else he will kill the Lord without hesitations.

Hiromitsu led them out of the ceremony hall and into the deepest part of the mansion. They passed through doors, secret passages, and hidden stairs. After a little time of traveling, they reached the door of deepest room of the Lord's mansion. With his trembling hands, he opened the door and revealed a small altar in the middle of the room.

"Good. You're quite easy to convince, aren't you?" The spy said and tossed the Lord harshly towards the floor, making him spit more blood. "Let's go. The scroll will now fall to our hands…" he chuckled.

The three spies entered the room in triumph.

The Lord smiled, "You fools."

The spy looked back at Hiromitsu upon hearing him mumble those words. A confused look was plastered on his face.

All of a sudden, the ground began shaking and before they knew it, three huge beasts rose under the ground and attacked them mercilessly.

"Shit! It's a trap!" one of the ninjas cursed as they dodge the attacks of the beasts.

"What do we do now?!"

"Tsk. We have no chance against these monsters. We must flee! Let's go!" The leader looked for a way to get the hell out of the room, fortunately, he found a small window at the corner. He mustered his speed on his legs and ran towards it. His companions abruptly followed him, with the beasts at their rear.

The beasts roared and slashed their claws towards their prey. The two spies were able to dodge the attack, but their other companion was slashed on his back badly.

"AAARGH!" He screamed in pain. But he was undeterred to escape with his teammates.

In a matter of seconds, they reached the small window and were able to escape the jaws of death for the meantime.

* * *

The next day…

Tomoyo was usually up early to pick herbs in the forest for her medicine-making. Her basket was full of healing herbs and she wore a satisfied expression on her face as she mentally noted that she was done. She calmly stood up from the ground and dusted off the soil on her purple kimono and then picked up the basket to her hands. She began walking back to her house in the middle of the forest.

Tomoyo was a well-known doctor in the village. Those with rare illnesses usually go to her and there was not a single person that she failed healing. For all these years of living in the Ibara Gakure, no one knows about her real identity. All the villagers knew was she was a doctor. Nothing else. No one knows about her priestess blood except for Hinata, Rika, Shinra and Shinichi. But there were elders who kept on making stories about the mystery of her existence. Some said that she uses witchcraft, some said that she was a fallen Goddess, and some said that she was a legendary priestess. She sometimes laughs at their great stories.

Later on, she could see her house from her spot. But, something caught her eyes. So early in the morning, a man was standing in front of her door and was about to knock.

"Excuse me? May I ask who you are?" Tomoyo said.

The man wearing a blue hakama faced the source of the voice.

"You're servant from the Lord's palace. What is your business here?" She asked in a serious tone of voice.

"You are Tomoyo, the well-known doctor of the village, am I right?" the servant asked.

Tomoyo nodded, "I am she."

"Thank Goodness, I've found you. I was out all night locating your house in this forest." The servant said in relief, "I was ordered by the Lord's attendee to look for you and bring you in the palace." He then took out a scroll from his pouch and gave it to the doctor.

The priestess rolled the scroll open and began reading in a heartbeat. The Lord never sent anyone or any telegram for her. She knew… something definitely happened.

_Tomoyo-sama,_

_We need your service in the palace at once. The Lord's life is in danger because of a sabotage at the ceremony. He has been throwing up blood and running a very high fever. Do come as soon as possible you have read this telegram. _

_You are our only hope._

_Sincerely,_

_Kohaku – The Lord's Attendant_

"A sabotage? How could this be?" Tomoyo looked worried.

"We are not accurately sure how everything happened last night. The palace is not in the right state to investigate the events… not only the Lord was poisoned, but also the other servants and guests. They are all in a critical state. We have gathered all the doctors last night, but none of them could make the cure." The servant explained, "Please, you must come with me to the palace. We need your help."

Tomoyo nodded, "Just a minute. I will be back." She entered her house and went directly to the kitchen because she knew that she would find Hinata there, making breakfast. There were also Shinichi and Rika.

"Tomoyo-sama, _okaerinasai_." Hinata greeted with a smile, "Just a few more minutes and the soup is done—"

"We are leaving. Now." Tomoyo said. "Gather your things."

Hinata, Shinichi and Rika had confusing look on their faces. "What do you mean, Tomoyo-sama?" Rika asked.

Tomoyo rushed towards her medical cabinet and began tossing some medicines in her pouch. "The Lord's servant came here. There was a sabotage in the palace and the Lord's life is in danger. It was said that there was poison in the food that they ate in the ceremony last night." She explained briefly. "Tsuki. You are to accompany me."

"Y-yes!" Hinata replied and began gathering the tools she needed, too.

.

.

.

8.00am at the shore.

Hinata, Tomoyo, the servant, Shinichi and Rika stood there, waiting for the sailing ship to arrive.

Hinata was wearing a white Haori to cover her face from other people, as well as Tomoyo but not to hide her face.

"Shinichi, Rika. I leave the clinic to the both of you for a while. Tsuki and I might stay in the palace for a few days to cure the Lord there and the other patients." Tomoyo said, "Remember. Do not mention any of these to the villagers. The sabotage in the palace must remain a secret, got that?"

Rika and Shinichi nodded.

"And if Shinra returned tomorrow and we're not yet back, tell her what happened. I'm leaving you in charge of everything in the clinic. If ever someone asks where I and Hinata are, tell them that we went on a journey to look for other healing herbs. Never tell them the truth about the Lord's palace." Tomoyo said.

"We got it master, please do call us anytime you need help. We will be waiting." Rika said.

Tomoyo nodded, "Good." And then she turned to Hinata, who was looking really troubled ever since she read the telegram from the servant. "Tsuki. You must remain calm."

Hinata looked at her master and loosened the Haori to reveal her face, "Tomoyo-sama… Mizu-oji-san and his wife were invited to that ceremony last night. I am worried about the two of them." She said.

Tomoyo placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, "Worrying is a waste of time, Tsuki. No matter what we will face there, we must accept. You can't afford to have a troubled mind as you heal the patients. If you continue panicking, it will affect your skills and might cause mistakes. Stay calm as what I have always told you." She said.

Hinata took a deep breath. She tried her best easing her mind and following her master's words. After a while, she looked a little bit reassured. She closed her hidden eyes behind her bangs and placed the Haori to cover herself again.

"There it is! The ship is arriving!" the servant pointed.

.

.

.

"Hah! Finally I can see the shore!" Suigetsu exclaimed as he pointed through the horizon. "I can finally hand this bandit to some official and claim the reward. Great." He said in enthusiasm.

His companions, Jugo and Sasuke didn't show the slightest interest to Suigetsu's words. Well, Sasuke never did in the first place. Ever since their argument yesterday, Sasuke didn't say a single word to Suigetsu. Whenever the young swordsman was going near him, he would hold the hilt of his katana and glared daggers at him, causing for the silver-haired guy to back away. What made the Uchiha's blood boil was when Suigetsu approaches him, the swordsman would apologize and say that he just stated the fact.

"Hey, Sasuke. Sorry about what I said. I just wanted to fire you up because I'm bored. I just had no idea how much you still care for that dead girl."

Again, Suigetsu said it.

Sasuke knew that the guy was messing with him. He knew that the sharkboy wanted for him to get pissed off again and draw that Katana of his out for a duel. But he didn't want to stain his katana with some cold-blooded freak.

"All right. I know that silence of yours would subside. I'll be waiting for your words full of "hatred" soon." Suigetsu said casually.

Sasuke couldn't remember how Suigetsu and Jugo were able to find out about his late fiancée. Wait. He could now remember. It was that masked man named Tobi that time. He revealed the truth about Itachi's mission regarding the massacre of the clan… and adding to that was Sasuke's past in the village. He couldn't believe that he told that all to Tobi and his companions. Now, he's regretting that he told that story to them.

After some moments of waiting, the anchors were down. The wooden plates on the side of the ship linked the shore to the ship, enabling for the passengers to go down.

In a blink of an eye, Suigetsu rushed down the plates, with the unconscious bandit carried on his shoulders like a sack.

Jugo walked down, and then followed by Sasuke. Sasuke could just roll his eyes with Suigetsu's childish antics.

As Sasuke was going down on the left part of the link, he could see some passengers climbing up on the right part of the raft. He saw a man in a blue hakama, who looked like a servant, and then he was followed by a middle-aged woman with long black hair that was tied in a single braid… and the last one was a maiden covered with white Haori.

He walked pass the servant and then the middle-aged woman casually. But when he walking pass the one covered with a white haori, he felt something… unusual.

Even without seeing her face, Sasuke's attention was drawn to her. He focused his black eyes to her as she walked up and as he walked down. When he was down the link, he didn't avert his gaze from the maiden.

He could feel something from her. He couldn't explain what it was… but it was weird and mysterious.

He had a strong feeling that… he knew that person.

"Sasuke?"

He then heard Jugo's deep voice that distracted his thoughts.

"Is there something wrong?" Jugo asked.

Without turning to Jugo, Sasuke replied, "Nothing." He took one last glance at the maiden covered with the Haori as she got on the ship, and then he walked away feeling disturbed.

Just what was he feeling?

* * *

Team Kakashi had arrived the Land of Lightning earlier and was now traveling in the middle of nowhere to look for the Hidden Village of Thorns. Kakashi was leading their path, sure of where they are heading. The team couldn't argue with him because Tsunade mentioned that Kakashi was the only one she knew who was able to get in and out of the Forest of Thorns. All what they could do was trust Kakashi that they weren't lost.

Shikamaru was walking casually and looking at the clouds again. As expected in the Land of Lightning, wherever he looked, he could only see clouds and lightning strikes. He enjoyed the cool weather. It was more different in the Land of Fire, where it was obviously always warm. But what made the atmosphere colder were his other two companions; Naruto and Sakura.

Ever since they started their journey yesterday, those two never spoke to each other. Not a single "Hi" or "Hey". It was very unusual for those two to remain so quiet. Shikamaru found their noise very troublesome, but them being very quiet was more troublesome. As much as possible, he was trying to stay away from the both of them.

Deep inside Sakura, she wanted this to end. She didn't know how much she could bear not interacting with Naruto especially when they're in a mission. In most of her missions, she was always with him. There were many times she saved his life and he saved hers. She couldn't just ruin their bond because of their recent fight regarding Sasuke. After all they've been through… now that Sasuke's gone…. she couldn't afford losing Naruto, too.

"Sakura-chan…"

And finally… she heard him speak her name after eternity.

Sakura faced him as they walked. As Shikamaru and Kakashi noticed this, they advanced to a farther distance to let the two talk with each other.

"I'm sorry for leaving you like that the other day." Naruto said in a solemn voice. "I know you're just concerned of me, Sakura-chan. I know you've been thinking what's best for me and Kakashi-sensei."

"Naruto…"

Naruto looked directly at her green eyes, "You're right, Sakura-chan. As Sasuke's best friend, I must learn to… let him go and respect his decision."

Sakura's eyes widened upon hearing Naruto's words. She didn't expect to hear those from him so soon.

"He chose to help us during the war. He chose to stand up against Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito. I know why he did that… I could feel him that time." Naruto said, "Just like me… he wanted to protect the village that Hinata loved very much. He went to our side because of her."

Sakura looked down the ground, trying her best to hide the pain in her eyes.

"Just as you said… when the village gave Sasuke a chance to return to us, he still chose to leave." Naruto continued, "For all these years, we kept on chasing after him. I think, it really is time to stop looking for him. Sakura-chan, thank you for waking the hell out of me."

Sakura smiled, "So… we're back to normal?"

Naruto grinned, "Of course, we are!" he exclaimed.

Kakashi and Shikamaru smiled to themselves. Oh, how glad they were that Naruto was back to his normal self.

"_Yosh_. We're here." Kakashi said as he halted on his steps. They standing at the entrance of a huge forest.

"I thought that it was the Forest of Thorns, Kakashi-sensei? It looks like a normal forest to me, dattebayo." Naruto doubted.

Yeah. Naruto is really back.

"Just watch." Kakashi said as he formed hand seals in a fast motion.

In a blink of an eye, the ordinary forest in front of their eyes began fading and revealed its true form. It was the Forest of Thorns.

"It's still the same. Creepy and mysterious." Kakashi said.

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:**

I wish I could finish this story in two months before I start college... I'm telling in advance that I would not be able to update so soon because our Finals is next week. After that, we're going to start practicing for Graduation and I have to take care of some papers... and thesis. Our research defense would be next month so... yeah. Please do pray that I'll be able to survive.

If I updated... I'm victorious.

okayyy... thank you very much for reading! Please, Review and keep supporting!

See ya!

**VOCABULARY**

**Hai – yes**

**Ibara Gakure- Hidden Village of Thorns**

**Okaerinasai- welcome back**


	17. Chapter 17: Remained Connected

**a/n:**

Today is a special holiday in our country! Yay! Thanks to that, I was able to update. :) It was a long weekend for me so I took time to relax. Thank you so much for your reviews~

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

**Chapter 17: Remained Connected**

"I can't imagine that a village is behind this forest." Sakura said in awe.

"The forest of thorns served as the protection of the Ibara Gakure. It was built by the very first leader of the village in order to protect them from the other nations of this country. They decided to be independent even before the first world ninja war commenced." Kakashi narrated, "This forest… has killed and trapped those who fail to pass its darkness."

Three pairs of eyes were focused at the jounin. "What exactly is inside that, Kakashi-sensei?" Shikamaru asked.

"Illusions. Nightmares. It will narrate to you the greatest failures of your life." Kakashi replied, "According to some, those who are trapped there couldn't get out because they were still captured by their fears… even up to this date."

"How will we be able to get through this forest? And how do we get out?" Sakura asked.

"I only entered this once. But when I was going out, the fears and nightmares couldn't get near me anymore." Kakashi said, "It is most important that you immediately conquer your fears. Once you have conquered it all… you can exit and enter this forest like it's an ordinary forest."

"Yes. Your eyes will only follow the light…" Keigo, the monk, said in a calm voice. "That light will serve as your guide for the right path to get out of the darkness of the forest. You must find it first to immediately get rid of your fears. It is only you who can save yourself."

Naruto turned his gaze back to the creepy forest. He could feel despair, sorrow and pain coming from it. At one look, it is impossible for a man to get out of there alive. It stood tall with the trees' sharp thorns… and nothing could be seen inside but pitch blackness.

"We must go. The Lord would be expecting us this early afternoon." Keigo said, "Remember… always look for the light. Because that light is the strength, hope and way." He then began walking inside the forest, not even showing the slightest anxiousness and fear.

"Let's go." Kakashi said and then followed the monk.

Soon, Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru followed the elder men.

At first, when they entered the dark place, they were all walking side by side and could see the two men walking ahead of them. But after several steps farther from the entrance, their coordinates suddenly changed… and they were not with their companions anymore.

Instead, they were alone in the greatest fears of their life.

.

.

.

Sakura immediately halted on her steps by feeling the changes with her surroundings. She became alert and ready for anything. She began looking around, trying to find her companions but they were nowhere to be seen. She was all alone in the middle of the forest of death.

She tightened her grip on the strip of her backpack. This place… always haunted her dreams. This place reminded of her with the painful memories she never wanted to remember.

Much to her surprise, the scene she never wanted to see slowly appeared right in front of her eyes.

There were the three sound ninjas who sabotaged them during the Chunin exams. There was she, all beaten up… Naruto was unconscious and Sasuke was breaking Zaku's arm. Sakura could see her young self running for Sasuke to stop him from giving more injuries to Zaku. She embraced him… and the cursed seal in Sasuke subsided.

Sakura shut her eyes, not wanting to see her pathetic young figure. She clenched her fists and turned around to avoid seeing the scene.

All of a sudden, she heard a deep voice that gave shivers to her spine.

"You're useless. You're weak."

Sakura opened her green eyes. And then she was welcomed by the young Sasuke whose cursed seal was activated.

"You're a burden. You did nothing but bring down the team. You were no help to us." Sasuke said in a cold tone.

Sakura took a step back. She shook her head. She wanted to speak but she was shivering.

Suddenly, the young Sasuke faded. It was replaced by the elder Sasuke. His ever sharp eyes piercing through her mind.

"In the end, you couldn't do anything. You're still useless." He said, "You can't help those people you care about… you're still weak. You're still pathetic."

Sakura bit her lip.

"Sh-shut up…"

"Why, Sakura-chan? Why?" She then heard Naruto's voice. Before she knew it, he was beside Sasuke.

"I promised you that I'll bring Sasuke back. I did everything for you… I didn't want for you to feel what I felt when I lost Hinata. But you didn't appreciate all of what I've done. What kind of friend are you?! You don't care for me!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Y-You're wrong, Naruto… You're wrong! I was just—" Before Sakura could continue, she began hearing skeptical whispers.

"Oh, I don't want to be someone like her."

"Have you heard? Her two teammates fought but she couldn't do anything to stop them. How useless she is."

"She always acted tough but deep inside… she's weak."

"I heard she wanted to pursue the Uchiha's love. Who does she think she's kidding? The Uchiha won't love someone like her. She's so ordinary!"

Sakura brought her hands to her ears, "What is this? Those voices… stop… stop it!"

"Weak. Useless." Sasuke said.

"What kind of friend are you?" Naruto said.

Tears were started forming in her green eyes, "Stop it! No! Stop!" she then sprinted away… trying to get away from her fears.

.

.

.

Shikamaru blinked his eyes several times. He knew that he was not in the Forest of Thorns anymore… instead, he was standing at the place where the most painful event of his life happened. He saw his memories starting to play a scene in front of his eyes.

Asuma's lifeless body lying down on the ground.

He, Ino and Chouji surrounded their dead teacher.

Shikamaru could hear Ino's loud cries when their teacher's soul departed. He could see that she's in so much pain… he knew her too well. She was the kind of person who could even cry for a bird's death. That's how emotional she was. After all, she treated Asuma like her father. And then right across of her was his best friend, Chouji. He was crying like a snotty child. Even though he was a big man, Shikamaru knew that Chouji's sensitive. He knew that their teacher's death shattered his heart into pieces. Then he saw his own self, crying and blaming the cigarette's smoke for his tears.

Shikamaru remained unmoved on his spot. He was just looking down at himself, Ino, Chouji and Asuma. It was all coming back to him… the hatred, the regret and the pain. He knew that all of this was over. He was done avenging his sensei's death… but it still didn't change the fact that he could not be alive anymore. There was still the loneliness in his heart. The pain and loneliness that no one could heal and the regret of not being able to save his teacher that no one could ease.

"You let him die, Shikamaru… YOU LET HIM DIE!" Ino's voice suddenly came. She stood in front of him with her eyes full of deception. Tears were streaming down her beautiful face. "Why couldn't you protect him for once? He sacrificed his life for you most of the time! Why couldn't we count on you for once?"

"You are to blame for everything, Shikamaru! I… I don't want to be with someone I can't trust my life with! I can't believe that someone like you is my best friend." Chouji then said.

"You should be the one who died there… not Asuma-sensei." Ino said with pure coldness in her voice. "I don't want to see you ever again. I regret that I've loved a person like you!"

"Ino… Chouji… What—"

"I counted on you, Shikamaru. I counted on you for once to save my life back there." Asuma then appeared, his eyes looking down at Shikamaru with disappointment. "Kurenai and I were having a child… I'm already a father. But you let me die. How could you do this to me, Shikamaru?"

"I… I did everything I could to save you there, Asuma! I… I didn't want for you to die!" Shikamaru answered back.

"But your best wasn't enough." Asuma said, "I'm very disappointed in you."

Shikamaru felt a very large impact on his chest. His calm, carefree and composed self left him already. Instead, everything in him was replaced by fear.

"G-get the hell away from me!"

.

.

.

Naruto looked around to see no one of his companions. He was not even in the forest of thorns anymore. "Shikamaru! Sakura-chan! Kakashi-sensei! Keigo-oji-san!" he called for their names but no one responded. He kept on walking around to find them but he stopped when he realized where he really was.

"This is…"

His voice trailed off when the painful scenes reoccurred in front of his very eyes.

It was his memory from five years ago.

He was in the hallways of the Hyuga household.

Naruto felt a tight clench in his heart. An intense fear built inside him.

He suddenly heard fast footsteps from behind him, he slowly turned around to see his young self running and bumping the young Sasuke along the way. The boys just glared at each other for a moment… and then the twelve year old Naruto left his friend to go to _her_.

Naruto looked at his frightened young self. The young Naruto ran passed through him without seeing him and halted in front of the shoji which appeared to be the door of _her_ room. Both Naruto could hear cries from behind the door… cries of pain and sorrow. The young one slowly slid open the shoji as the elder one started walking towards him.

He could see the boy walk inside the room nervously. Naruto halted on his steps for a moment, being hesitant to see the sad scene anew.

After a while… he heard Hinata's mother speak. That doubled the pain in his chest. And then he heard his young self began talking to her. After that… he heard loud cries.

Naruto shut his eyes, not wanting to hear the lament anymore. He went away. He didn't think of where to go, but he wanted to get away from this place as much as possible. He wanted to get far from here. He ran pass the empty halls, the silent compound and out the streets.

He ran and ran… not stopping and not looking back.

The only thing that could stop him was a familiar cold voice.

"You can't run away." It said to him.

Naruto halted. His eyes didn't fool him… the one standing right in front of him was none other than his best friend, Sasuke.

The seventeen-year-old Sasuke glared daggers at him.

"No matter what you do… you will never get away. This is all your fault… you are to blame for everything that's happened to Hinata." He said. "If it weren't for you… Hinata—my fiancée would still be alive! It's because of you that she died… if you stayed away from her in the first place, she will not be killed!"

Sasuke began walking towards him, and grabbed him by the front shirt.

"You… you were the one who got in the way. You thought you could protect her… but you couldn't. You're the one who led her to her death!" Sasuke said.

Naruto didn't budge. He glared straightly at his friend's pained eyes.

"Sasuke…"

Sasuke harshly pushed Naruto away. "You do not deserve someone like her. Nobody would ever love a monster like you."

"S-stop it. You're not real! Get away from me!" Naruto shouted.

"I trusted you, Naruto. I trusted my cousin to you." Neji then appeared. "I believed that you will not lead her to danger. I believed that you could protect her. But I was all wrong…"

"Stop! Get away from me!"

Naruto then started running again, trying to find the way out of that place. But as he sprinted, he kept on hearing voices.

"This is why I forbade my daughter to see someone like you! She does not deserve you, Uzumaki Naruto!" Hiashi said.

Naruto gritted his teeth.

"Why did my sister even love you? No matter what you do… no one will truly accept you." Hanabi said.

Words of blaming and rejections kept entering his ears. He clenched his fists tighter, trying to conceal his emotions.

"It's your fault…"

"You killed her!"

"Monster!"

Naruto kept on running the endless road. Terror was building inside of him. _Hinata… I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you._ He said in his mind over and over again.

"Hinata… I'm sorry…"

"I never blamed you for anything, Naruto-kun."

He heard her calm angelic voice. His pace got slower and slower until he stopped running. He desperately looked around to find Hinata. But there was no luck, he couldn't find her anywhere.

"Where are you? Hinata!"

"None of this was your fault… Please, do not listen to them. You do not deserve those words." She said.

"But I do, Hinata… I do. It's all because of me. No one else is to blame." Naruto replied.

"You mustn't be like this. You need to be brave… you need to conquer this, Naruto-kun." Hinata said, "You must see the light to be able to get out of here."

"I can never see the light. It has always been my fault that you died… I can never ask for the forgiveness of the people I've hurt. Especially you and Sasuke." Naruto said.

"Before you could ask for the forgiveness of others… you should learn to forgive yourself first." Hinata answered, "You can't be forever here. You need to get out of this place for you have so much to accomplish. Your village… your friends need you. You ought to be strong for them. Don't let your fears and failures stop you."

Naruto faced ahead… abruptly, he could see a dim light. Soon it was getting brighter and brighter and he was able to see a figure from afar. A child's figure. When he got nearer, he was able to see her face.

It was Hinata.

"That's right, Naruto-kun. Always look at the light. Follow the light… and it will ease your anxiety and terror." Hinata said in a calm demeanor as she extended her hand for him. "Let us go… and leave this place."

Naruto felt a calming warmth in his chest as he approached her. A gentle expression was plastered on his face. Slowly, he extended his hand and tenderly reached for hers.

The girl smiled sweetly at him, "_Ikko,_ Naruto-kun."

* * *

When Naruto opened his blue eyes, he saw the calm blue sea. He could hear the birds chirping and the sound of the shore. He surveyed his surroundings and saw all of his companions. When he looked back, it was the forest of thorns that met his eyes.

"Great. You guys made it through as expected." Kakashi praised. "Good job."

The three teenagers observed each other. They thought they'd never see each other again after all that.

"Bless your souls, brave ones." Keigo said, "We must go. The Lord might be impatiently waiting for our arrival."

The team then went to a nearby boat to travel to the Lord's island.

"New tourists you have here, Keigo-san? Never seen new faces in several years." An old man greeted them, "Where to? The Lord's island? The village?"

"To the Lord's island, please." The monk replied.

"Oh, sure. I bet it's time for his check-up." The old man said as he led the passengers to the boat. "20ryo all in all please. You're going to be using two boats."

Keigo gave the amount without complaints. He got onto the first boat and Kakashi and Sakura accompanied him. On the other boat were Shikamaru and Naruto.

"We can go on our own from here. You need not to accompany us." Kakashi said to the old man.

"Oh, all right. Be careful. Keigo-san and I usually stumble when the waves are too strong. We go home wet." The old man joked and then left to go back to his small cottage.

Naruto and Shikamaru grabbed the oars to start rowing. Sakura and Kakashi were the ones to row in the other boat.

"Keigo-oji-san, what exactly is your relation with the Lord of this village?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, yes. I haven't told it to you yet except for Kakashi." Keigo said, "I am his doctor. I go to this village for his monthly check up."

* * *

Tomoyo and Hinata had finally arrived the mansion. As expected, they were immediately welcomed by few servants. The atmosphere was chaotic… they could hear screams of despair and suffering from different parts of the mansion.

"Thank goodness you have come!" the Lord's right-hand, Kohaku, descended from the staircase and ran towards the two doctors. "We've been expecting your arrival all day, Tomoyo-sama. We've got no time to lose. The Lord must be cured this instance!"

"I understand." Tomoyo said. Before she followed the Lord's right hand, she turned to Hinata. "You know what to do. It is your duty to look after the guests while I tend to the Lord."

Hinata nodded. "I will do my best." She said.

Tomoyo then quickly went upstairs to follow Kohaku to the Lord's bedroom.

Hinata was left with the other servants. She took a ribbon from her kimono's pouch and tied her hair in a pony-tail. She removed her white haori to reveal her white michiyuki over her blue kimono. "Take me to where the patients are, please." She said.

A female servant nodded and began leading the maiden to one of the rooms.

After a few seconds, Hinata was delivered inside the patient's room. What she saw gave strong sting in her heart. It was tragic. There were many sick people… crying in pain, vomiting blood and suffering. They were so many that she couldn't count them in one look with her hidden eyes.

"How could this happen?" she whispered in a crestfallen tone.

She walked inside, unsure of what she would do first. All of a sudden, a lady approached her. "You're a doctor, right? You're the one that the Lord sent to cure the patients, right?! Please, you must cure my husband! He's dying!" the lady began pulling Hinata desperately. They went to the panicking crowd and then reached where the lady's husband lied.

"Here he is! Do something!" the woman exclaimed.

Hinata immediately knelt down to examine the sick man. She placed a hand on his sweaty forehead and felt for his pulse in his wrist. After that, she stretched the man's eyelids to gain access with his eyes. She observed the man's eyes and then leaned forward to feel his breathing.

"He's in a very bad condition…" Hinata said to herself.

"Don't tell me you won't be able to do anything like those other doctors, too?" the woman said angrily, "I'm willing to pay you how much! We have tons of money! I'll give you whatever you want just cure my husband!"

Hinata gulped. She tried to calm herself down, "S-since when did he have this high fever?"

"Since last night. He's also vomiting blood just like the others." The lady answered.

"Vomiting blood. High fever. This must be diarrhea." Hinata said, "Sir. Sir, can you hear me? Does your abdomen hurt? Sir."

The man opened his eyes slightly. He slowly and weakly nodded.

"This is a food-borne illness." Hinata then began calling for a servant, "What food did you give the guests yesterday?"

Before the servant could answer, someone else spoke to Hinata. "It was because of the uncooked rosary pea in the main dish."

Hinata's eyes widened, "Mizu-oji-san! You are fine!" she immediately stood up from the floor and went to him.

"I arrived when the sabotage was over last night. And then I saw all the guests suffering from sudden illnesses." Mizu replied, behind him was his lovely kind wife. "I talked with the chef of the mansion. He said that he didn't place any rosary peas in the main dish. We concluded that it might be those spies who discreetly mixed it with the food."

"Rosary peas… they contain abrin. The poison must be inside the patients' bodies for more or less twelve hours. This is bad." Hinata said. "It is too late to get the abrin out of their bodies."

"What must we do, Tsuki-chan? Every doctor who came here couldn't think of a way to save the ill guests. There is no antidote yet for this toxic." Mizu's wife, Aki, said in a concerned tone.

"The others were able to get the rosary peas out of their system by vomiting… but the others were not fortunate." Mizu added.

"I have no idea what you people are talking about. Please, tell me… will my husband be cured?" the woman asked with her eyes full of tears.

Hinata felt very bad. She wanted to say that there is a cure for this poison but who was she trying to fool? She couldn't keep the woman's hopes up. If her master Tomoyo were in her place, what would she do?

_Think, Tsuki. Think._

She said to herself.

"_Ojou-sama, _listen to me. The food that your husband ate contained a very severe poison. This maiden, is still young compared to the other doctors. She, too, would not be able to cure your husband as well as the other ill guests." Mizu said calmly.

The woman shook her head in terror, "No… you're lying! YOU ARE DOCTORS! YOU MUST BE ABLE TO CURE MY HUSBAND!"

"Ojou-sama, please, calm down." Aki said.

"Do not worry, ojou-sama." Hinata spoke in a firm voice. "I will be able to make the antidote and save everyone."

Aki and Mizu shot her confused gazes.

"What are you saying, Tsuki-chan?" Mizu asked.

"I will be right back. Please, come with me Mizu-oji-san. Aki-sama… will you stay here and look after the patients?" Hinata said.

Aki nodded without hesitations.

Hinata and Mizu walked away. "We must go to the kitchen. Will you please help me make the antidote?"

"You will make the antidote? Is that possible? There is no cure for the Rosary pea's poison. Several doctors have made studies to formulate the antidote but no one made any progress." Mizu said in a low voice in order to not let the others hear their conversation.

Hinata looked at him, "There is still no antidote for this. But I will make one. Trust me on this, Mizu-oji-san. I know what I will do." She said in a serious ring.

Mizu stared directly at the girl's hidden eyes. Even though he could not see them behind those thick bangs, he knew that she was very determined. "All right. I will do everything to give you my best assistance."

* * *

Tomoyo was seated beside the Lord's giant bed with her eyes closed. It was very quiet inside the Lord's dim room. Right before the door stood the Lord's attendant, Kohaku, and the Lord's wife, Yuuka. Both of them curiously watched the doctor mumble words that they have never heard before.

"What kind of doctor is she?" Mistress Yuuka asked softly to Kohaku.

"I know not. But we must trust her. She knows what she is doing." Kohaku said.

Tomoyo then opened her calm golden eyes. "Yuuka-sama, Kohaku-sama. I humbly ask for the both of you to leave the room for a moment, please?"

Yuuka frowned, "You ask us to leave? Why is that?"

"I need to concentrate more in order to cure the Lord Hiromitsu." Tomoyo said, "Please."

Kohaku nodded without complaints. "We must go, Yuuka-sama. We must trust the Lord in her hands."

Yuuka sent a glare at the priestess. "All right, I understand. You must not dare to do anything foolish with my unstable husband. Or else it will be your head. As well as your companion's."

"I will not fail you, milady." Tomoyo answered.

Then Kohaku and Yuuka left the room and shut the door.

When Tomoyo was finally alone with the Lord, she summoned her white staff. The spell she mumbled earlier was a spell to activate an invisible protective barrier on the mansion. She needed to activate the barrier so that she could protect her aura and Hinata's aura if ever they have to use their priestess skills. She knew they have to use their healing magic for no antidote would cure those people who were poisoned.

She extended her white staff forward and placed its head on Lord Hiromitsu's chest.

"Heal."

And then a blue glow appeared from the staff and spread throughout Hiromitsu's body.

Soon, the pain on the Lord's body vanished, leaving him with a gentle expression on his face.

* * *

The sound of the waves made Team Kakashi feel relaxed as they sail towards the island of the Lord. The waves and current were strong, but they could manage. The only thing that they're worried about was the formed dark clouds in the sky. It could rain anytime soon.

"We must hurry. The weather would not be too pleasant." Keigo said.

Kakashi and Sakura doubled their effort on rowing the boat, taking note of the monk's warning. Naruto and Shikamaru did the same.

The team was half-way the island. By five or ten minutes, they would arrive. They just hope that it wouldn't rain by then.

As they were rowing, Naruto began a conversation with his boat-mate.

"Shikamaru… back in the forest of thorns, what did you see?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru shot him a look. He fell silent for a moment as he continued rowing. After a while he spoke, "Asuma showed up. As well as Ino and Chouji."

Naruto looked at him, wanting to know what really happened.

Shikamaru averted his gaze and focused on somewhere far. "They were blaming me for everything. Ino said she regretted loving someone like me… Chouji said that he didn't want to be my best friend anymore… and Asuma said that he's disappointed in me." He said. "I let them all down."

"How were you able to see the light?"

Shikamaru chuckled briefly, "I saw a figure of a young girl whom I didn't know. And my father."

"I see." Naruto said, "I'm glad that you made it out." He flashed him a smile… but that smile didn't last long when it was Shikamaru's turn to ask.

"What have you seen back there?"

Naruto couldn't speak for a moment. He squeezed his grip on the rows tighter as his pacing got a little slower. His blue eyes went to the waves of the troubled sea. Flashes of her images occurred in his mind again.

"I saw her… I saw Hinata. She came to help me again." Naruto said with gentleness in his voice. "Sasuke, Neji, Hanabi-chan and Hiashi-sama all blamed me for her death… but she still didn't. She still took my side."

Shikamaru had a soft expression on his face. "That Hyuga maiden… she really means a lot to you."

Naruto nodded. "Everything what I did for the village… everything I did to make myself stronger… it was for her. She was my inspiration. She kept me going for all these years."

"You have nothing else to prove, Naruto." Shikamaru said, "You're now the Great Hero of the village. You saved the entire nation from Madara and Obito. Hyuga Hinata is very happy wherever she is."

Naruto had a faint smile on his face, "I hope so."

Subsequently, the waves got even stronger.

This snapped Naruto, Kakashi, Shikamaru and Sakura.

"Keigo-san, get down!" Kakashi ordered as he let go of the oars and grab a kunai from his pouch.

Naruto, Shikamaru and Sakura also went to their defensive stance before anything else happens.

In a few seconds, three black-suited ninjas ascended from the water and threw shurikens at them. Sakura and Kakashi got off the boat and stood on the surface of the water and blocked the shurikens coming forth.

Keigo remained protected at the boat. He's also alert if ever anything goes wrong.

"Sakura, don't get your eyes off Keigo-san. Naruto, Shikamaru… we take them on." Kakashi commanded.

Naruto punched his knuckles together, "Oh yeah. Time for some action, dattebayo. BRING IT ON!"

A hero or not, he is still the one and only reckless Naruto. He hopped towards the air and formed a cross sign with his fingers. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

Two bunshins puffed out.

"Clones?" one of the ninjas said, "You are… Uzumaki Naruto!"

"You bet I am! And I'm taking you down all!" He shouted proudly as he threw shurikens toward them. The three ninjas blocked his weapons with their katanas, when his opponents were busy defending themselves, he and his clones dove to them.

The real Naruto took the one who was at the middle and had a one-on-one combat with him.

The ninja swung his katana menacingly, trying to separate the blonde's head from his body.

Naruto dodged the attack effortlessly. He ducked, only few strands of his hair were cut, and kicked his enemy on the side.

The mysterious ninja blocked Naruto's knee with his elbow. "Get the monk!" he ordered his two companions who were also busy dealing with Naruto's clones.

"No, you won't!" Naruto shouted. "Shikamaru! Kakashi-sensei!"

"We know!" Shikamaru and Kakashi said in unison.

The other two successfully eliminated Naruto's bunshins, and their new opponents were Kakashi and Shikamaru.

Shikamaru knelt down on the water, and formed seals with his hands. His shadows came to life and were in the form of long sharp ropes. It flew towards the ninjas.

"He's using shadows… must be from the Nara clan. You take him on, Eiji. I'm gonna go for the pink-haired girl. She looks weak."

Eiji nodded, "Got it, Kaede." As Kaede continued running ahead and dodging the shadows, Eiji leapt back and bit his thumb. He formed seals with his hands and landed his palm to the water to summon a creature.

Kaede threw shurikens with paper bombs toward the shadow user.

Shikamaru quickly sensed this and made his shadows block the bombs. The shurikens clashed with the moving shadows and flew away from its target when got contact. They flew far to a free area and exploded there, leaving the target unharmed. He knew that Kaede will be going straightly to Sakura and the Monk. He immediately made his shadows follow the ninja to injure him on the legs. But before he could command his technique, he felt a strong wave approaching him. He looked at his side and saw a large turtle shell making its way to him in a great speed.

"Damn."

Shikamaru cursed and hopped up the water to dodge the shell. His shadows followed him.

When the shell was far from him, it stopped spinning and revealed the turtle. The turtle landed on the water and its reptile head became elastic like rubber and dashed up the air where Shikamaru was.

The Nara son was forced to deactivate his shadow technique to evade the turtle's head. He landed back to the sea again and took weapons from his pouch. He threw kunai explosives on the way to the advancing head and accurately landed on its only soft spot, the eye.

It growled in pain and stopped chasing after Shikamaru for a moment. But a new opponent awaits him.

Eiji appeared right behind Shikamaru and was about to tackle him.

Shikamaru's sharp eyes never let him down. He hopped to the other side, causing for Eiji to miss. He tossed a kunai towards Eiji.

Eiji quickly spun to land on his feet. He swiftly took his katana out and blocked the kunai with a cling.

"I'm your opponent, shadow boy." Eiji said with a playful smirk.

Kaede continued running to the boat of the monk. He grabbed for the hilt of his katana on his back as he accelerated. And then he sensed something. He narrowed his eyes and flung his katana out and clashed it against the kunai of the jounin.

Kakashi gritted his kunai against the ninja's weapon, "You won't get near them." He said in a low voice.

"Whether you like it or not, we will get that monk." Kaede said.

"Hmph. Over my dead body." Kakashi replied. Then, something caught his eye. The hilt of the ninja's katana. It looked familiar to him. _This is_…

Kaede pushed Kakashi away and began a sword fight.

Sakura could feel the sea breeze getting colder. The sea's waves became more disturbed. She looked up the sky to see the fully developed rain clouds.

"Oh no. It will rain any minute now." Sakura said. "Keigo-san, are you all right?"

Keigo remained stood on the boat, "I am fine. We need to get out of here. It is dangerous if we stay longer in the middle of the sea."

Sakura looked back at the team fighting the rogue ninjas. "Keigo-san. Give us one minute. We'll be done." She said.

"One minute, it is." Keigo said.

"Kakashi-sensei! Naruto! Shikamaru!" Sakura shouted. "ONE MINUTE!"

Upon hearing the kunoichi's voice, the three konoha ninjas nodded. They knew what to do.

"Team, formation C!" Kakashi declared.

"Yosh!" Naruto, Shikamaru and Sakura answered.

Naruto jumped up and made several bunshins again. He commanded for the clones to attack the leader.

The rogue leader eliminated the clones again by using his katana, but bunshins kept on appearing.

"Don't you get tired of this technique?! You think you can beat me with it?" The ninja said.

Naruto didn't answer. His clones just kept on attacking the ninja leader and getting him farther and farther from the monk and the others.

Shikamaru was doing the same. He first threw another paper bomb to Eiji to gain a comfortable distance between them. He formed signs again with his hands and the shadows came out. It immediately wrapped the turtle's body by piercing through its arms and legs. The summoned creature was useless now that it's constricted with the shadow. Shikamaru wrapped it tighter and tighter until it puffed into thick smoke.

"Take this!" Eiji yelled.

Tons of needles flew in the direction of Shikamaru from Eiji.

Shikamaru showed no signs of anxiety. He effortlessly built a shadow wall in front of him that protected him from the needles. As soon as all the needles were gone, Shikamaru's shadows advanced to Eiji's spot.

It then began luring the ninja away from the boats, injuring his arm as he ran.

Kakashi successfully clashed Kaede's sword away, making it fly and dive into the deep sea.

"You're finished." Kakashi mumbled. In a speed of light, he kicked Kaede on the stomach and sent him flying away from the boats.

Before Kaede could defend his self, the Jounin appeared in front of him and sent another impact. This time on his chin and upward.

Kakashi delivered more blows to him as they were up in the air. He then felt a droplet of water strike his cheek. It was beginning to rain.

"Lion combo!" he ended the attack with one last blow in the air, and delivered Kaede to his teammates.

They were all in the same distance, the same place.

Kakashi, Shikamaru and Naruto began running back to the boats.

"Sakura!" Kakashi called.

"Got it, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura began charging her chakra on her right fist.

When Sakura was still charging, Naruto straightly went to the monk and carried him on his back. He as well grabbed for his things on the other boat. "Hang on tight, Keigo-oji-san."

When her teammates were in a safer distance, the kunoichi decided to unleash her wrath. "_Shannarou_!"

She punched the sea, and caused a huge tidal wave towards their opponents.

The boats were useless. So the team just ran away as fast as they could as the tidal wave engulfed their enemies.

"Shit. RUN!" The leader named Hiro shouted. "We'll get them later!"

* * *

It was raining heavily by the time Kakashi's team reached the Lord's mansion in the island. Two guards confronted them. "Who are they?" one of them asked the familiar monk.

Keigo showed the scroll to them, "The Hokage assigned them as my escorts."

When the guard was done reading the writings on the scroll, he handed it back to the monk. "You are allowed to enter." They opened the gate and let the visitors set foot at the property of the mansion.

As they were walking to the front door, Keigo sensed something unusual with the mansion. He frowned confusedly. He felt something different. There were no servants, guards and gardeners. When he usually went to see the Lord, the mansion was full of servants. But now, none of them was around.

In a few seconds, they were inside the mansion. By that time, the Lord's attendee came to welcome them.

"Keigo-sama! Finally, you have returned!" Kohaku exclaimed.

"Kohaku-san, what has happened during my absence?" Keigo asked concernedly, "Where are the others?"

"It is a long story. I will narrate it to you later. But now, you must attend the Lord. He needs serious medication!" Kohaku said.

"The Lord is in danger?" Keigo frowned. Without asking for permission, he immediately climbed the stairs and went to the Lord's room.

Before Kohaku followed the monk, he turned to the new faces.

"Pardon me, but who are you?" he asked.

"We are Keigo-san's escorts. We were sent by the Hidden Village of Konoha." Kakashi answered.

"I see. I am relieved that you are here. Do wait a moment and I shall talk to you later." Kohaku said and pointed for a servant, "You. Get our guests to the living room and make them tea. Also prepare them towels." He ordered.

"Yes, Kohaku-sama." The servant bowed. "Please, follow me." She then led Kakashi's team to the living room.

.

.

.

After ten minutes…

Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi and Shikamaru were all seated comfortably at the living room's expensive couch. They were all drying up by the use of the towels that the servants provided, and were served hot tea by the command of the Lord's attendee.

Without hesitations, Naruto grabbed for a cup and drank the tea. When his lips came in contact with it, he felt a sting on his tongue and lips, resulting him to back away. "Hot! Hot!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Idiot." She mumbled.

"I apologize if this is what we can only serve you." The servant said. "Due to some circumstances, we cannot offer you better food and beverages."

"You don't have to worry. We are fine." Kakashi said.

The servant flashed them a smile. "If you need anything else, please do not hesitate to tell me." She bowed before she walked away to go back to her duty on cleaning the glass windows.

There was a relaxing silence in the guest room. They all sipped their teas and began to take a rest.

But suddenly, they saw other people by the door running at the hallways. They carried towels, blankets, and a container of hot water.

Sakura frowned at this, "Miss, what is happening here? Why are they on a rush?" she asked curiously.

Before the servant could answer, they heard screams from a room not far from them.

"What was that?" Naruto asked.

The servant looked down, "There was an attack yesterday. Three unknown ninjas sabotaged the ceremony last night… and most of the guests suffered food-poisoning. The other servants and doctors are still not done treating them." She narrated.

"Food-poisoning?" Sakura stood from her seat in alert. "I volunteer to help. I am a medical ninja and I will see what I can do."

"You are a medical ninja?" The servant blinked her eyes, "Oh, but I do not know if the Lord's attendee would allow outsiders to look after our people." She said in doubt.

Then the Lord's attendee entered the living room, having heard the whole conversation. "You say that you are a medical ninja. State your name, young maiden." He said to Sakura.

"I am Haruno Sakura. Apprentice of Master Tsunade of Konoha." Sakura introduced.

"You are the apprentice of Princess Tsunade? Oh, good gracious! We humbly accept your help!" Kohaku said in triumph. "Lead her to the patients! We need her help most!"

"Certainly, sir." The servant said, "This way, please, Sakura-dono."

Sakura then followed her.

Naruto stood up from the couch, "We will help too! We'll do what we can to give assistance to Sakura-chan. Let's go, Shikamaru!" he grabbed the pineapple haired jounin by the back of his collar, making him choke with his tea.

"Heck! Why do I have to go with you?" Shikamaru complained.

"Quit yapping!" Naruto said and dragged the lazy ninja with him and Sakura.

Kakashi thought twice whether he would follow his students or not. He was a little bit depressed because his Icha Icha book got soaked by the rain. He just sighed and placed the book back to his bag and rose. "I guess I'll keep an eye on them."

"Hatake Kakashi-san." Kohaku called. "Keigo-sama had narrated to me what had happened on your way to the Lord's island. May you please come with me to discuss important matters? The Lord has regained consciousness and he demands to see you this instance."

There was no reaction from Kakashi. He had been expecting for them to speak to him anyways.

* * *

Hinata felt her knees wobble and she immediately held on to the table to support her weight. She placed a hand on her forehead to try to redeem her clear eyesight.

"Tsuki-chan! Are you all right? It is better for you to take a break for a minute." Mizu said in a seriously concerned tone of voice.

"I-I am fine, Mizu-oji-san. I was just dizzy…" Hinata replied.

"But you've been working with your powers non-stop now… it would continue to drain your energy." Mizu said.

That's right. The solution that Hinata could think of was mixing some medicinal herbs with applying her healing power to it. Since she felt that her master activated a protective barrier, she took the chance to use her priestess skills. She trusted Mizu not to tell anyone about her powers, and she knew that he will keep his word. They never let anyone else enter the kitchen.

"We're running short of Herbal medicines… How many people are still not cured?" Hinata asked.

"More or less than half of the guests." Mizu answered.

Hinata removed her apron and bandana. "Mizu-oji-san, please take care of things here for a moment. I will be back." She said.

"Wait, don't tell me you are going to look for herbs in the Lord's forest?" Mizu frowned, "Dear, the weather is not fair. It is dangerous for you to go out there alone."

"I will be fine. These people need our help most… I am not afraid to face danger in order to save them." Hinata said. "Please, just stay here and tend the other patients. I will be back as soon as I can. We can't afford to lose more people now… many have already died."

"I understand. But promise me that you will be careful." Mizu reminded.

Hinata nodded, "I will, Mizu-oji-san." She said and then used the backdoor of the kitchen to get out.

.

.

.

Sakura, Naruto and Shikamaru entered the room.

They all saw bedridden patients being treated by few nurses and doctors. Sakura went to one of the patients and started examining her.

"I am a medical ninja. Allow me to check up on your body." She said.

The patient nodded weakly.

Sakura placed her hand together on top of the girl's stomach and a green glow appeared down her palms. She began moving her hands to other parts of the patient's body and noticed something odd.

_Her nerve cells and digestive system are being repaired quickly_… Sakura thought to herself. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I am feeling better." The patient answered. "I do not feel nauseous anymore."

Sakura looked at the nurse attending the patient, "What were her symptoms earlier?"

"She was vomiting blood, running a high fever and she said she could feel pain in her abdomen. It's the same case as the other people here." The nurse replied, "They suffered food-poisoning from the Rosary peas that were mixed with the main dish last night."

"Rosary peas?" Sakura frowned and looked back at the patient to continue examining her body, "The abrin is subsiding…" she whispered. "What medicine have you given the patients?"

"It is this." The nurse handed a bowl of herbal medicine to the medical ninja.

The glow on Sakura's hand disappeared when she removed her palms on the girl's body. She took the bowl to her hands and began checking on the contents of the herb. _How could this be? There's no cure for that kind of poison. _

"What's wrong, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

Sakura was suspicious of the medicine. "Did you make this?" she asked the nurse.

The nurse replied the negative.

"Then who?" she demanded.

"I heard she was a maiden from the woods… I have seen her sometimes but I do not completely know her. She's the assistant of a doctor in the village." the nurse replied.

Before Sakura could continue her interrogation, an old man came. It was Mizu.

"May I ask who the new faces are?" Mizu, with a bowl of herbal medicine in his hands, asked.

They all turned to him.

"You may go to the other patients and make them drink this." He addressed to the nurse and handed the antidote to her. The nurse acted once she received the order.

"Ah, hey, Jii-chan. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo!" Naruto greeted enthusiastically.

"I am Haruno Sakura." Sakura said.

"It's Nara Shikamaru." Shikamaru introduced.

"You are shinobi." Mizu said, "What is your purpose here? How were you able to get inside?"

"We are the escorts of the Lord's doctor. We come from the Land of Fire." Sakura replied.

"I see. The Lord's doctor has finally returned... I am Mizu. It is a pleasure to meet you young ones."

The three bowed.

"_Anou_, Mizu-san. This medicine… do you know who made this?" Sakura asked, "I've been told that the food-poisoning was from the Rosary peas. And Rosary peas contained a poison called Abrin. As a medical ninja, I know that there hasn't been a developed antidote for this poison. The nurse told me that a maiden made this antidote… do you know her?"

Mizu nodded, "I do know her—oh! Young men, I can sense that you are both skilled and brave." He suddenly turned to Shikamaru and Naruto.

Naruto and Shikamaru were surprised by the sudden change of topic.

"The maiden responsible for making the medicine is not here for the moment. She went out to get more supply of herbs in the Lord's forest because of the shortage… I am worried about her. It's raining hard outside and the ninjas who sabotaged the mansion last night has not yet been captured. Will you two gentlemen please bring her back safely?" Mizu asked.

"She went out in this kind of weather? To the forest? It really is dangerous out there!" Naruto said, "Don't worry, old man. We're going to get her back, safely. We won't let anything happen to her."

Shikamaru shot Naruto a glare. He knew he was involved with this again.

"Thank you very much. I will be counting on you." Mizu said in relief, "Her name is Tsuki."

"Tsuki? All right. We got it." Naruto said with a thumbs-up. "Let's go, Shikamaru! Sakura-chan, we'll be back soon. If Kakashi-sensei looked for us, tell him that we searched for Tsuki."

"All right. Be careful, you two." Sakura said.

"Come on, Shikamaru! We have a side quest!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly as he dashed out of the mansion.

Shikamaru sighed in defeat. He scratched the back of his head, "Troublesome. I guess I'm involved again." He mumbled and followed Naruto afterwards.

* * *

Hinata knelt down under a huge tree and began to pick up the herbs she found. She was fortunate that she found blue and red herbs. Those were what exactly she needed to make the antidote more effective. She took as much as she could and placed it inside her basket. After a minute or so, she was done picking the herbs, but the rain hasn't stopped yet. It even got worse.

"Oh no… I can't go back with rain like this." Hinata whispered to herself, "Please, stop… I have to get back soon for the patients." She prayed softly.

She stayed under the tree for a while, hoping for the rain to subside soon. But the odds were not in her favor. Nothing changed and it was still strong.

Hinata could feel the cold when the wind blew. She snuggled the basket closer to her and began rubbing her arms to gain a little heat. She was soaking wet.

"I cannot stay here any longer… they need me." She said softly. Then she decided to go back despite the bad weather. She had to.

"What is a maiden doing in the middle of this forest at this kind of weather?"

A deep voice came from behind Hinata.

Hinata flinched upon hearing the voice. She looked around to find who else was with her but she could see no one until they appeared right behind the bushes. They were black-suited ninjas.

_Enemies._

The maiden took a step back as she glared with her hidden eyes at the strangers. She began searching inside the pouch of her kimono without taking her eyes off them. But she found nothing useful in her pouch to defend herself. It was only a smoke bomb. _Oh no… I left my materials back in the mansion_.

"No need for you to be afraid. We just need a little help." Hiro said.

"Never. I will not help those who harmed the villagers!" Hinata said in a firm voice. "You were the ones who sabotaged the mansion last night. You were the ones who poisoned the guests! You told the Lord that you had the antidote so you could manipulate him to give you what you needed. But there is no cure for the poison! Your intention was to kill the guests and Hiromitsu-sama in the first place!"

The ninjas chuckled. "You are brave for a commoner." Hiro said, "But do you think you can stop us?"

"Hey, Hiro. She'll be a good catch. We can sell her to another village. I heard they needed new recruits for their bar. They pay really high…" Eiji said.

"You are such a maniac, Eiji. I bet you're a regular at the prostitutes' den?" Kaede laughed.

Hinata gulped. _I have to get them away from here… the mansion is in bad shape_. _It would be disaster if they attack now._

It was now or never. She brought out her three smoke bombs and tossed them towards her enemies. It puffed a thick smoke and Hinata took the chance to escape before the rain could eliminate its smoke.

_Cough. Cough. "_Don't let her get away!" Hiro commanded.

"All right. I guess it wouldn't hurt to have some fun a little. That girl can't do anything to stop us." Eiji laughed maniacally.

When the smoke was clear, they chased after the girl.

.

.

.

"Don't think you can get away!"

Hinata heard their voices. She ran even faster but it was giving her a hard time because of the mossy and muddy ground. She didn't look back and continued accelerating. Then, she saw a kunai passing through her left cheek, nearly slicing her flesh.

_If my paper talismans were here_…

And what are the odds? She had done the most unnecessary movement in escaping for her dear life. She tripped over a huge root of a tree. She fell down the ground and dirtied her decent kimono. But she didn't mind that. Her greater problem was that the basket slipped from her hands and rolled towards a cliff-end. Before the basket could fall off, she mustered her strength in crawling to grab it. She successfully caught the basket, but the land was slippery with the help of the continuous rain. Even if she instructed for her body to stop going further, the ground slipped her off the cliff.

She rolled down the steep cliff. She didn't let go of the basket and protected the herbs with all what she got. Fortunately, the hill was not that high. She suffered few scratches and wounds but she was fine. When she came in contact with the road, she stood up with all her might and returned with escaping again.

She ran and ran. She still couldn't hear the ninjas approaching… probably her fall gave her time. She was beginning to get exhausted so she stopped to hide behind a huge boulder for a moment. She tried to catch her breath for a moment as she held on the boulder for support. And without warning, she suddenly started seeing flashes of images in her mind.

A girl was running. She could see that a girl was running away.

"_**Somebody, help me!"**_

Hinata heard her voice. She shut her eyes tightly when she felt a pang on her head. She tried to visualize the images clearer, but it was no use. She couldn't see the girl's face.

_**"You have nowhere to go, girl. You have no chance against us."**_

"_**The Byakugan will finally be ours."**_

Frightening male voices occurred.

_What… What is this? _Hinata thought to herself.

"_**N-No! I will not let you!"**_

Hinata fell to her knees, having a hard time to endure the pain in her head. What was she seeing? She had never seen something like this before. She remained on the ground, breathing hardly until the mysterious flash stopped occurring in her mind.

"Oh, here you are." Hiro and his teammates appeared.

Bad timing.

"Look at you. You're all filthy now." Kaede said.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Your kimono looked decent, too. But I bet it'll look prettier with them off." Eiji said.

Hinata tried to stand up with her aching head. But, her vision was starting to get cloudy. She planned to get away again but a kunai was thrown that nearly hit her.

"Now you don't want to see this get ugly." Hiro said. "If you escape, we will kill you without hesitations."

"I am not afraid of you. I am not afraid to die protecting the Lord and our village!" Hinata announced.

The three ninjas chuckled, "Brave woman, she is." Kaede said.

"Since we're going to kill her… hey, Hiro. You think I can…" Eiji said.

Hiro understood this. "Go on, pervert. Make it fast."

"Sweet! You're mine now girlie."Eiji began advancing towards her with a maniacal laugh. When he was yards away from her, a flash of orange and black appeared and before he could react, he felt a massive knuckle punch his face and send him flying towards the ground.

Hinata's eyes widened upon seeing a guy enter the scene. He was tall, wore an orange and black jumpsuit, and had notable spiky blond hair.

"You will not lay a finger on this girl!"

Uzumaki Naruto shouted.

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:**

*fireworks*

yay! I'm done with the longest chapter so far! whew. Well, this was supposed to be longer that it reached 16,000 words. So I had to cut it off. Haha. I got carried away again in writing~~~

HOHOHOHO. They finally saw each other, eh?

Please, review! I NEED MORE REVIEWS!

See ya!

**Vocabulary**

**Anou- umm/well**


	18. Chapter 18: Blind Reunion

**a/n:**

yaaaay! School's finally over! Wohoooo! Next month... I'm going to graduate. :) The stress is finally over!

I survived the thesis defense and our finals! *blows party trumpets*

But tomorrow... hahaha. Tomorrow would be my interview in my University. Please, do wish me luck.

Thank you so much for your reviews! Your reviews helped me ease this anxiety I'm feeling right now for my interview tomorrow.

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO**

* * *

**Chapter 18: Blind Reunion **

It was Shinra's second day of journey back from the Uchiha hideout. She now reached a village near the shores of the fire country, but due to the said bad weather condition in the middle of the sea, she couldn't continue her journey back to the Land of Lightning. She decided to spend the rest of her day in the village and wait for another day before she could leave.

She wore a conical straw hat to shield her face from the afternoon sun as she walked the streets to look for an Inn. She always liked the weather of the Fire Country. It was warm and she could always see the sun. It was far different from the Land of Lightning where it was always cloudy and instead of sun rays, she could only see strikes of lightning in the sky. How she wished she could live here with Tomoyo, Hinata, Rika and Shinichi. From her observation, this was a more peaceful and free village than the one they have. There were no rich people who make their servants work like they're animals; there were no separation of status; there were no discrimination. People here lived a happy life…

It was like Konoha.

It was like the village that Itachi sacrificed his life for.

There were many times that Shinra wished that they could go back to Konoha and live there instead. She wished that she could just run away and leave all her responsibilities behind and then take Hinata with her. By that… the maiden wouldn't suffer anymore. She could return to her real family and start a new life without thinking of her real mission in this world. But who was Shinra kidding? How could she possibly oppose God's plans? How could she possibly change Hinata's fate? She was the chosen one. She was the Sacred Priestess that they were waiting for to save the world from darkness.

Shinra entered an Inn which seemed to still have vacant rooms. She removed her straw hat and walked straight to the counter to speak to the Inn keeper. But before her, a group of four was there first, checking in for the night. She hoped that they wouldn't occupy the rest of the rooms.

"May I ask if there's a room here with only one bed? I would like to get that room as much as possible and separate myself from them." A girl with brown hair tied in high twin buns said to the Inn keeper.

The Inn Keeper looked apologetic, "I apologize, miss. But the room has been occupied. If you would like, we could give you a separate room from your companions, but it will have two beds and you have to pay for the regular charge even if you are alone."

"Deal. I don't care if I'm going to pay for an invisible companion… I just need to get a break from these guys." The girl whispered as she gave a disgusted look at two ninjas wearing green outfit, apparently they're talking energetically that it attracted the attention of other people.

"_Yosh_, Lee! We are going to start our new training in this Inn! Since you did another great job with our mission, I am going to teach you another powerful taijutsu technique!" The tall man wearing green fit suit with thick brows exclaimed in a deafening volume of voice.

"Thank you very much, Gai-sensei! I will definitely do my best!" the ninja called Lee, answered back enthusiastically with droplets of tears in his round eyes.

Shinra stared at them for a moment… they looked familiar to her.

And her confusion was solved when she saw their other male companion.

The one with long brown hair and pale lavender eyes was the next one to negotiate with the Inn Keeper.

"I demand to be transferred to a room far from theirs." He said.

"Neji-kun? Lee-kun? Ten-ten-san…? Gai-san?" Shinra interrupted the group.

Four heads turned to her upon hearing their own names.

It didn't take them time to realize who called them.

"Shinra-san?" Neji said without a change of expression on his face.

"It really is you, Shinra-san!" Ten-ten happily said and went to her.

What a coincidence… meeting at this kind of place. Shinra was really surprised.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto punched the spy very hard on the face and made him meet the muddy ground.

"You will not lay a finger on this girl!" He shouted firmly as he stood in front of the ninjas to block them from going to the maiden. In a matter of seconds, his teammate, Shikamaru arrived.

"You Konoha ninjas again?" Hiro cursed, "Hey, Eiji, get your ass up there. You look lame." He said.

Eiji had a hard time regaining his senses. He took quite a hit there from Naruto… it took him a while before he stood up.

"Naruto. They're those spies that the mansion's looking for. They're the ones responsible for the sabotage last night." Shikamaru said to Naruto.

"I know. And I'm going to beat the crap out of them, _dattebayo_." Naruto said with a smirk, before anything else, he looked back to the maiden behind them. He noticed that she was in a bad shape. She had scars and wounds on her face and skin. Her kimono was dirty and torn. He knew that she struggled with these bastards and he's going to make them pay for doing this to her. "_Nee_, just stay there and watch. We won't let them hurt you."

Hinata's hidden eyes widened. She felt something unusual build up in her chest, she sought support for the huge boulder to prevent her from losing her balance. She was feeling very different when she met his blue eyes.

"Hey! You guys better prepare yourselves. I won't go easy on you!" Naruto warned. "Shikamaru, leave these bastards to me. Take care of Tsuki." He suggested.

Shikamaru was a guy with weird propensity. Instead of turning down the offer and suggesting that they fight together because "two heads are better than one", he casually walked away without complaints and went to the maiden to check on her.

"You okay?" he asked her.

Hinata stared at Shikamaru and frowned, "You're going to let him fight those guys on his own? You're not going to help him?"

"He said he wanted to beat them up on his own." Shikamaru replied.

"It's three against one. He needs your help." Hinata said.

"Nah. You don't have to worry. He's stronger than you th—"

Shikamaru suddenly frowned. His eyes were glued to the maiden's partially hidden face. There was something odd about her. It's like he had seen her once before, he just couldn't remember when.

"Heh! You think you can take us on your own? You're going to regret this, you piece of sh—"

Before Kaede could even finish his statement, Naruto had already kicked him in the stomach in a blink of an eye. When Kaede was on his way to land on a tree trunk, Naruto all of a sudden appeared behind him and gave him another hit. This time, by combining his knuckles and hitting Kaede's head downwards full force. It gave a strong impact to the ground when Kaede's head came in contact with it. In a matter of seconds, Kaede was out cold.

"I told you… I'm not going to go easy on you guys." Naruto said with pure seriousness in his voice. "One down." He said in a low voice as he began running towards the other two. He pulled out a Kunai when his opponents also pulled out their katanas.

"Split up!" Hiro instructed. He and Eiji leaped in separate ways.

Eiji then he took a scroll from his belt. He made signs with his hands to activate the scroll, and when flipped it open, several needles came out flying towards Naruto. And those needles effortlessly hit Naruto's body.

"Yosh." Eiji whispered.

And in one second, Naruto's body puffed into thick smoke and revealed a body-sized wood.

"_Kawarimi_?"

"EIJI! BEHIND YOU!" Hiro shouted.

Naruto, with Rasengan in hand, was about to land his technique to his opponent.

'_He's fast._' Eiji thought in horror and could do nothing to avoid the attack. He accepted the blow and went flying towards the trees of the forest, landing on quite a distance away from them.

"That felt great!" Naruto exclaimed, "I missed using that technique! Oh, but don't worry, he's not yet dead. Just unconscious, that is." He told Hiro. "Now, it's just you…"

Hiro took a step back, '_I can't believe it… He took down Eiji and Kaede easily_. _He's just a teenager yet we don't stand a chance against him.' _He mentally said. '_He and his companions were holding back that time in the sea?_' He immediately sprinted away and Naruto chased after him.

"I won't let you get away!" Naruto said as he accelerated towards the ninja.

Hiro took some _makibishi_ spikes from his pouch and threw it on the ground to somehow slow Naruto. But who was he fooling? A person who took down his companions without breaking a sweat would definitely not fall in this childish trick.

Naruto just leaped from the spikes and threw shuriken in Hiro's way, he accurately hit his left leg.

Hiro ignored the pain and just continued running. He felt the sting in his leg more when he hopped up to the branch. Naruto was gaining on him. Before he knew it, the guy was in front of him with Kunai on his hand.

Naruto slashed the Kunai to his enemy, but Hiro blocked it with his Katana just as he anticipated. He read his moves clearly, so before Hiro could proceed with his next action, Naruto grabbed for Hiro's wrist tightly and cracked his bones.

"AAARGH!"

Hiro screamed in pain as he forcibly let go of his Katana and it fell down to the ground.

"It's time you pay for everything you have done to those people at the mansion." Naruto hissed and then he kneed Hiro strongly at his stomach and made him spit out blood. After that, the guy passed out. He carried the guy on his shoulder like a sack and produced a bunshin.

"Get the Eiji guy over there. He took quite a trip." He commanded.

"Yes, boss." The clone Naruto said and obeyed what the original one ordered.

The Real Naruto then decided to go back to where Shikamaru and Tsuki are.

.

.

.

The pain in Hinata's head got undeniably stronger. She was having a hard time breathing, and her heart was pounding very fast. Several flashes of blurred images also kept occurring in her mind. Images that she had never seen before in her entire life.

_**"Give the girl to us, brat!"**_

_Came a voice of a man with blurred face._

_**"Come on! We don't want this to be hard, do we?"**_

_Another one said. _

Hinata tried her best to clear her vision but it was no use. She could only point out the colors, the figures, and the forest, but not their faces.

_**"Never!"**__ a person shouted in a firm voice, __**"YOU WILL NOT LAY A FINGER ON THIS GIRL!"**_

Hinata did everything she could to point out who the owner of the voice was, but the flashback ended there. Leaving her hanging and perplexed. She fell down to her knees, holding her aching temples.

"_Oi!_ Are you okay?" Shikamaru quickly went to her when he was done tying Kaede. "Hey! Hang in there!"

Just in time, Naruto had come back with Hiro unconscious on his left shoulder. When he saw Tsuki on her knees with Shikamaru, he carelessly let Hiro's body slip from his shoulder and fall down the ground to immediately go to his companions.

"Shikamaru! What's happening?! What's wrong with her?" Naruto asked concernedly as he crouched next to Tsuki.

Hinata was gasping unevenly and then she heard her savior's voice.

"I don't know, she just fell down." Shikamaru replied, "We should head back now to have Sakura check on her."

"Right. Tie the two others, I'll take care of Tsuki." Naruto said and Shikamaru nodded. The Nara son went to the forgotten Hiro, and the newly delivered Eiji by Naruto's bunshin.

"Tsuki. Tsuki. We're going back to the mansion. Just hang on, okay?" Naruto said as he went near her. And then his body froze on his spot as he noticed something.

Hinata slowly lifted her head up to meet Naruto's face. It was no use, her vision was not clear anymore. All she could see was his bright spiky yellow hair. She tried reaching for his face but she felt very weak, and the next thing she knew, darkness conquered her sight.

Naruto immediately caught Hinata before her body smashed the forest land. He secured her in his arms and gently held her. He was stunned. He couldn't describe what he was just seeing. His eyes traced her face longer, making sure that he was not mistaken of what he was thinking.

_This can't be…_

He thought to himself. He slowly brought his masculine hand to her face and gently lifted her bangs up to see her sleeping image.

Her features… it was the same as _hers_.

Naruto was out of words. This Tsuki looked exactly like his Hinata. He couldn't be mistaken.

With his trembling cold hands, he began stroking her beautiful face tenderly.

_It's her… There's no mistake… it's her._

"Hinata..." Naruto hugged the girl gently and a tear drop rolled to his cheek. "You came back…" he whispered and closed his eyes. His sweet Hinata was alive. She was lying in his arms again. He couldn't be mistaken… this girl named Tsuki is definitely his Hinata.

"_**Hyuga Hinata is long dead." **_

A voice in Naruto's head said, snapping him back to his senses. Naruto shut his eyes open, and his memory of Hinata's burial came back to him clearly. Her fragile cold body lying lifelessly on her futon inside her room. Her fragile cold body inside the casket being descended down to the pit of her burial. He was there to witness it all… he was there to witness how she was killed.

Naruto bit his lip and broke the hug. He just stared at the sleeping maiden, feeling his heart shatter into pieces. He gently lifted the maiden's thick bangs for him to be able to see her forehead… and just as he thought, there was no violet seal. He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth.

He was such a fool.

Just how could he think that this girl is Hinata?

He knew very well that Hyuga Hinata was gone. For all these years, she was dead.

Shikamaru just stared from afar, looking at Naruto. He was just finished tying the spies in a bundle and at the same time, the rain had stopped. And at the same time, he finally remembered where he had seen that girl. It was not her but… he knew that she looked like the late Hyuga maiden he once saw during the Finals of the Chunin exams five years ago.

The girl looked like Hyuga Hinata, Naruto's first love.

"Naruto. Let's go." Shikamaru called, "We have to get Tsuki back to the mansion."

It took a while before Naruto responded. He was still drawn to the girl, his eyes not leaving her even for a moment.

_Tsuki. That's right… her name is Tsuki. Not Hinata_.

Naruto thought to himself. He removed his hand from her smooth face and regained his senses. "Y-yeah!" he answered Shikamaru as normally as he could, trying to hide the shaking of his voice. He lifted the maiden up to his arms and then transferred her on his back. The same way he carried Hinata during that time…

"Let's go then, Shikamaru! We have no time to lose!" Naruto said without looking back to Shikamaru. He first leaped towards a branch of a tree, and soon, Shikamaru followed him with Naruto's other bunshin carrying the bundle of spies.

Shikamaru looked suspiciously at Naruto. He knew something was definitely wrong… it was the girl who looked like Hinata that they were talking about after all.

* * *

"It is only the Katana's hilt that I am familiar of, Hiromitsu-sama." Kakashi said. He was just done narrating everything that had happened during the assault of the mysterious ninjas in the sea earlier. He was inside the Lord's bedroom, accompanied by the Lord's attendee, Kohaku; and the Lord's doctor, Keigo.

"Can you describe to us what the hilt looked like?" Hiromitsu said.

"As far as I can remember, the carvings on the hilt were the characters of "Toshiaki"… and it is from the once noble Toshiaki clan in the hidden village of Thunder." Kakashi answered.

Hiromitsu frowned, "The Hidden Village of Thunder? The Toshiaki clan? What does a dormant village with a dormant clan need from us? This is absurd!" he then felt a sting on his side, resulting him to groan for a moment.

"My Lord, please do not push yourself too hard. You were just healed." Keigo said as he supported the Lord.

Hiromitsu raised a hand, commanding him not to give him any assistance. "I am all right." He said and then turned back to the White Fang's son. "The Toshiaki clan used to visit our village when they were still rich and noble. My father used to entertain them, but due to unsure reasons, the clan was brought down along with the Village of Thunder. It has been several years since I last heard their name…" he paused and sat up straight on his bed, "And last night… they were after the scroll."

Kakashi looked directly to the Lord's eyes, "The scroll… you mean the Scroll of Energy Detachment?"

"Precisely." The Lord replied, "The same scroll that you are here to get. I have received Lady Tsunade's telegram yesterday morning and I have read all the information about your journey and why your village needed it so urgently. But I am sorry to say that what we have is not the original scroll."

"Not the original scroll?"

The Lord nodded, "The scroll that those spies were after was just a copy of the original manuscript. The original scroll was long destroyed even before my great grandfather ruled this independent nation. We only protect the scroll so that it will not fall into the wrong hands. And may I ask, how were you able to discover that this old scroll can be only found in this village? As far as I know, no one ever spoke of this scroll and even our townspeople do not know that a treasure like this exists in our village."

"An extraordinary lady with outstanding researching skills. That is all what I could say, Hiromitsu-sama." Kakashi said, "Well, I think you know what I must say next. Since you knew our purpose here, may I ask to have the copy of the scroll in behalf of the Hokage?"

Hiromitsu smirked, "I know you understand that the Scroll is a hidden treasure of this village. Even if it is only a duplicate of the original one, it is still as important as that. In addition with that, if I hand the scroll to you, you wouldn't be able to use it at all." He said, "Only chosen Priests are able to recreate the new one. Those only chosen by its creator. And as far as I know, the last one to be chosen was the former Head Priestess of the Fire Country, Maeko-dono. But Maeko-dono passed away five years ago. Even Tsunade-sama wouldn't be able to make a new Scroll of Energy Detachment even if she is the greatest medical ninja alive."

"I was commanded to only bring the scroll to the village. And my team and I will not leave this village empty handed." Kakashi said, "Hiromitsu-sama, you can tell me what exactly is in your mind. I know that you want something in exchange of."

Kokaku shot Kakashi a glare, "Watch your words, Hatake Kakashi. Do you know who you are dealing with?"

Hiromitsu chuckled and signaled for his attendee to stop, "You completely read me, Hatake. As expected. Very well then, a treasure like this is not worth any value of gold or Ryo. It is much higher than that… What I am saying is that it is only your service that I need." He began, "You have now seen the state of my mansion. My guests, my servants and my guards were all infected by this poisoning which also happened to me. Our force is weak. And as much as possible, I would not want for this happening to leak out of the mansion and reach the village. I presume that your team is consisted of excellent shinobi… to be able to go through the Forest of Thorns, I haven't heard of that news after several years. I wouldn't miss this opportunity to hire you in a very special mission."

"Lord, you don't mean that you choose his team? A team consisting of four people?" The Lord's attendee complained.

"I wouldn't underestimate them if I were you Kohaku." Hiromitsu said. "I will send the Hokage a telegram regarding this special mission that I am giving your team. If this mission is a success, I will not hesitate to give you the Scroll of Energy Detachment. It is all yours."

Kakashi nodded slightly, "And this mission is about discovering what the purpose of the Toshiaki clan is about on stealing the scroll last night."

"Correct. In addition to that, they must be stopped before they cause another chaos to my village." The Lord said, "So, your answer is?"

"We accept the mission. We will begin our search tomorrow morning—"

*Knock Knock*

"It's open." The Lord answered.

A servant opened the door and bowed, "Pardon my interruption milord. But I must say that the spies from yesterday were caught by two of Keigo-sama's escorts."

Kohaku's eyes widened, "Th-they're caught?!"

"We kept them down in the dungeon." The servant answered.

The Lord threw an amazed look to Kakashi.

Kakashi remained emotionless, "Or should I say that we can begin our search now."

* * *

Tomoyo remained hidden in the Lord's private kitchen in his bedroom. She stood behind the door and held Hiromitsu's medicinal herbs. She heard everything that they talked about.

'_Those Konoha Shinobi need the Scroll of Detachment… as well as those spies from the Toshiaki clan. Why is that?_ _I better talk to Keigo-san about this. And if this will lead to danger, I need to get Hinata out of here soon.'_

* * *

"How is she, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked concernedly as he approached the medical specialist.

Sakura was just done healing the maiden named Tsuki. The old man, Mizu, and his wife Aki, were very worried about the girl when she was brought back by Naruto and Shikamaru. They hardly left Tsuki's side since she got back in the mansion unconscious.

"You don't have to worry. Her bones are fine, nothing was broken. She only suffered minor injuries such as scratches and bruises. She must have fallen down from a high place." Sakura said, "She'll wake up soon."

Mizu looked relieved and grateful, "Thank you very much, Sakura-san. And Naruto-san… Thank you very much for bringing back Tsuki-chan. I don't know what would've happened if you didn't come to save her."

Naruto smiled faintly at the old man, "We just did our job. It's no big deal, Jii-chan." His eyes never left the unconscious Tsuki.

Sakura was starting to sense something different about Naruto's attitude. He was not his usual self again… he was acting the way he used to act when it was about the Hyuga maiden. She looked back to the unconscious Tsuki and tried to figure out what was going on. But she was too unsure… She then noticed the basket that the girl was carrying when she returned. She picked it up and saw the herbs that Tsuki brought from the forest.

"These are the herbs that she used to make the antidote?" she asked Mizu.

Mizu replied the positive.

"Red and blue herbs… This would not be enough to be the antidote. It's true that this combination is an effective medicine for curing some type of poisons, but it is not enough to extinguish the Abrin." Sakura said, "How was she able to make it?"

"I may ask you to lower your voice, young lady." Mizu said, "I apologize but I am not a doctor. I am only an owner of a Library; I have no ideas of what you are talking about. But I am only sure of one thing… Tsuki-chan was able to heal the patients."

Before Sakura could speak, Naruto suddenly intervened.

"_Nee_, jii-chan… who exactly is she? Who is Tsuki?" Naruto asked.

Mizu stared directly at Naruto's blue eyes, "I have known her for so many years now. But I know nothing of who she really is… she is a maiden with full of mysteries." He answered.

Naruto frowned, not satisfied of what he had heard.

"Dear! I think she's waking up!" Aki exclaimed.

Sakura, Naruto and Mizu turned their attentions back to Hinata.

Hinata slowly opened her hidden eyes and saw four heads directed to her. Even with her blurred sight, she first noticed the man with blond hair—the man who came to save her from the spies. Her eyes began to adjust with the light… and she finally saw his mesmerizing ocean blue eyes. At that moment, Hinata immediately felt a connection. Somehow, she was feeling that she had always loved those eyes… somehow, she was feeling that she had already seen those eyes. It was giving her a warm feeling in her chest.

"Tsuki-chan! Oh, I am glad that you are awake!" Aki said and gave her a warm hug, "I felt very afraid… I thought those spies had done something very unpleasant to you."

Hinata broke the eye contact with her savior. She turned to the worried old lady and gently returned the warm hug. "I am fine, Aki-sama… Nothing bad happened to me. I was saved." She said softly.

"Oh, thank goodness… Thank goodness." After the tender moment, the two decided to break the embrace.

Mizu took Hinata's hand and held it in his tightly. "I shouldn't have let you go alone… it was my fault. I apologize, Tsuki-chan." He said.

Hinata shook her head, "You have nothing to be sorry about, Mizu-oji-chan. It was I who was foolish to leave the mansion unarmed despite the events last night and the bad weather…"

"You just did that for the sake of the victims. You were courageous, my darling… I admire your braveness." Mizu praised sincerely.

Hinata smiled gently, "I do not deserve to be praised, Mizu-oji-chan." She said in a soft voice. She then looked around the room to only see many people dismayed, worried and distressed of the happenings. Her duty wasn't finished yet… she had to help these suffering people. Feeling a lot better, she tried to stand up from the mat that she was laid upon. She still felt some stings in her muscles due to the fall she experienced in the forest, but it didn't bother her.

Naruto noticed that she was about to stand up, he instinctively went to support her to prevent her from hurting herself.

Hinata was shocked of the sudden contact. All of a sudden, she felt him very near to her and holding her on her arms.

Their eyes met again. Causing them to be frozen attracted to each other.

Naruto, upon noticing this, immediately averted his gaze and focused on hoisting her up. "Be careful, now… here you go." He said and gently pulled her up and made sure that she was strong enough to support her weight.

Hinata looked down, "Th-thank you very much." She said and began scooting away from the ninja's grasp. She felt weird and awkward with him—she wanted to say something else but she knew she would only stutter. She always stuttered when she was nervous. She knew that she would just make a fool out of herself if she stayed here longer.

"Mi-Mizu-oji-san… I am fine now. I can go back to the kitchen to continue making the antidote." She said. "We cannot waste more time… these people need to be cured soon."

"Even if I say that you need more rest after all what you've been through, I know you wouldn't obey. All right. I must accompany you. But I will ask you to stop when I see that you are tired." Mizu replied.

Hinata nodded.

"Wait, I'll come with you. I can also help when you need something." Naruto volunteered.

Hinata quickly rejected his offer, "W-we are fine. I only need Mizu-oji-san to help me. Thank you for your offer."

"Tsuki-san, I am Haruno Sakura, a medical ninja. I insist to join you make the antidote for these patients." Sakura said.

Just as what she told to Naruto, Hinata gave the same answer to Sakura. "I apologize, you cannot accompany me. Do understand." She then didn't entertain the pink-haired kunoichi anymore. She grabbed for the basket of herbs and rushed to the kitchen to begin her task.

"We will need your help to settle down the patients. Please, do give my wife assistance. Thank you." Mizu said and bowed at them before following Hinata to the kitchen.

Naruto and Sakura just stared as the two entered the kitchen and shut the door. They felt intrigued… something was definitely odd with the maiden and the old man.

"Pay no attention to the both of them. Tsuki-chan wouldn't want to be interrupted especially when she's making the antidote." Aki said, "Please, do help me with the other patients if that is all right."

"_Hai_." Sakura answered and began to work on it.

Before Naruto accompanied the two ladies, he was left standing on his spot, his eyes glued at the kitchen's door. Sure, people had secrets and he respected that. But he had an instinct that he had to know Tsuki more… he had a feeling that he needed to discover something very mysterious from her.

* * *

Kakashi arrived at the dungeon. He was accompanied by two palace guards and the Lord's attendee, and when they got to the dungeon where the spies were kept, he saw Shikamaru outside the spies' cell.

"Kakashi-sensei." Shikamaru greeted and when he saw the Lord's attendee, he promptly gave him a bow in respect.

Kakashi and Kohaku both looked at the new prisoners. They looked beaten up. Kakashi hoped that the spies could still survive the night suffering those injuries.

"How were you able to get them?" asked Kohaku.

"We saw them at the forest trying to take advantage of a maiden. Naruto was the one who fought them." Shikamaru explained briefly.

"I see. Indeed, your team is very remarkable, Hatake Kakashi." Kohaku praised and stared in disgust at the spies.

Hiro glared back at the attendee. He was the only one conscious inside the cell. His other companions were still knocked out cold.

"You still dare to look at me with those eyes? Know your position, ninja. You are in the territory of Lord Hiromitsu. If you want to prolong your life, I suggest that you swallow your pride." Kohaku warned.

"Shut up. I don't take orders from you." Hiro shot back.

Before the atmosphere becomes more intense, Kakashi decided to intervene. "Kohaku-san, let me take it from here." He said. "I will be the one to extract information from them."

"Oh, please do. We need accurate information out of those who sabotaged our mansion last night." Kohaku said.

Hiro chuckled, "You are not going to get any information from us."

"Let me inside." Kakashi said to one guard.

The guard looked uncertain to obey Kakashi's words, but the ninja seemed to be sure about what he was doing so he used the key to open the prisoners' cell.

Kakashi walked inside and stood in front of the leader of the spies.

"What are you going to do to me? Beat me up until I give in? Let me tell you… you're just going to waste your time." Hiro hissed.

"I'm not the kind of person who does something like that." Kakashi said, "That's not the way we interrogate in our village."

"Hn. Whatever."

"I am quite sure that you are ninjas from the Hidden Village of Thunder. From the Toshiaki clan."

Hiro's eyes opened wide. He did not expect to hear that.

Kakashi continued, "I found it out when I saw the hilt of your Katana. I once encountered people from your clan several years ago… And all I thought that the Toshiaki clan was long extinct. I hardly believed that they still existing in some part of this country."

Hiro's fists clenched. He wanted to start a fight with Kakashi but couldn't because of the ropes tied around him.

"Now, I'm going to begin." Kakashi said, "Why was your clan after the Scroll of Energy Detachment?"

"Like hell I'd tell you that." Hiro replied rudely.

"Who's your leader? Who sent you here?"

"Bullshit."

"Why do you need the scroll?"

"Are you freaking dumb? I said I won't tell anything."

Kohaku was starting to get pissed, "Guards, I command you to—"

"You left me no choice then." Kakashi said, stopping Kohaku from what he's planning.

"He knows what he's doing, sir. You better leave everything to him." Shikamaru told Kohaku.

Kakashi advanced towards the spy and lifted his forehead protector to reveal his eye with the Sharingan. He directly looked at Hiro's panicked eyes and after a while the spy finally fell under the spell.

Hiro's eyes were opened very wide his irises shaking as they stared back at Kakashi's sharingan.

_He's under Kakashi-sensei's genjutsu… _Shikamaru thought.

"Now what is he doing? Paralyzing the ninja? We don't have time for this! We need answers right now!" Kohaku said and was about to enter the cell, but Shikamaru blocked his path. "Get out of my way. I—"

"I wouldn't go inside there if I were you." Shikamaru said, "Just watch."

Kohaku gritted his teeth and stayed outside the cell following Shikamaru's suggestion. There was silence that occupied the whole room. It was clearly seen that fear was written all over Hiro's face.

Kakashi's technique went on for several minutes… after his silent interrogation which seemed to have satisfied him, he broke eye contact with the poor spy and covered his sharingan with his forehead protector.

Hiro immediately lost the stiffness of his body and gasped desperately for dear air. He was sweating beads of sweat and looked very terrified. His whole body's shaking now as his face got paler than ever. He slowly lifted his head up, to see the strong man who did this to him.

He trembled even more, "G-GET AWAY FROM ME! STAY AWAY! MONSTER!" He shouted. He tried getting away from the ropes, but he was tied tightly at the chair, not even letting him move his arms slightly. But he was desperate. He tried to get away, outrageously moving his body, only resulting for him to fall down.

"GET AWAY! YOU'RE A MONSTER!" He kept on screaming.

Kakashi looked down at him apathetically. Then, he began walking away, not giving the slightest care at the newly insane spy. He locked the cell and turned to Shikamaru and Koharu.

"What did you do to him?" Kohaku watched Hiro shout in fear, "You made him insane."

"You need not to get involved, Kohaku-san. More importantly, I have extracted useful information from him." Kakashi answered. "We must return to the Lord."

.

.

.

When Kakashi, Shikamaru and Kohaku returned to the Lord's room, Kakashi didn't waste time to tell Hiromitsu everything that the spy told him.

"Go on." Hiromitsu cued.

"It was not the Toshiaki clan who was behind of this assault last night. They need nothing from the scroll, milord." Kakashi began. "I tried to squeeze more facts from him, but it seemed that he knew nothing of the real mastermind."

"Who is this real mastermind? If it's not the Toshiaki clan, then who is it?" The Lord demanded.

"It was a man whose face was hidden from anyone's sight. He had a brown robe, covering him from head to toe." Kakashi went on, "He was the one who commanded those three ninjas to attack the mansion last night and steal the Scroll. He negotiated with them. Telling them that if they successfully stole the Scroll, he will help them save the Toshiaki clan and the Village of Thunder. The Village of Thunder is in great peril. The Toshiaki clan is weak. If they can't eke out of their living soon, they will be erased from this country."

The Lord was outrageous, "They deserve to be erased from this country! They have done nothing but depend on our nation… they have done nothing but depend on an independent village! After all what my father and I have done to help them before they disappeared without a word, they're giving all of those back to us with these kind of actions? Shame on them."

"Dear, please calm down." He heard his wife, Yuuka, tell him.

Hiromitsu took note of that and took a deep breath to be calm. "Is there anything else?"

"It seemed that the one who commanded the spies for this is a very strong man. The guy named Hiro said that if they failed or leaked out information about their mission, they will be forever trapped in their nightmares. And that's what happened to the one I interrogated earlier."

"I see. So there's another person who is after the scroll." The Lord said. "Very well then. I am willing to hand you the treasure of our village. In the state of my mansion today, I know very well that the scroll is not well protected here. Even if it is only a copy of the original… I want you to protect it no matter what the cost. I shall send the Hokage a telegram about this."

"Lord! Are you certain of your decision? You are willing to leave the scroll's safety under their hands? Pardon me, but… they're strangers. My father and ancestors sacrificed their lives guarding that Scroll in this mansion." Kohaku complained.

"As I said earlier… the scroll will be safer under their care." The Lord said and then turned back to Kakashi, "Once the patients are all better and my mansion is back to its maximum protection, I can let you leave with the scroll. For now, with my mansion's weak state… I humbly ask for your protection."

Kakashi approved with the agreement.

* * *

The rain had finally stopped. The sky was clear and revealed the bright full moon. The scent of the rain was still fresh and the breeze was cold yet gentle. It was relaxing. Hinata could finally rest.

She was seated on a bench in the middle of the mansion's garden, gazing at the shining moon. She was done making the medicinal herbs and cured all the patients. She felt bad though because there were some who didn't make it. There was a child, an old woman and a sickly old man. She was not able to save them because she was too late when she gave them the antidote.

Hinata had a very long day. Since she arrived in the mansion, she had been working non-stop. Due to the force field she felt that her master activated, she was able to freely use her priestess powers within the borders of the mansion. But she didn't expect that she would use it too much. The whole day working on the herbs consumed a large portion of her energy. In addition to that, she also had a dangerous encounter with the spies who attacked the place last night. If she weren't rescued… she wouldn't know where she is right now. And what troubled her most was the mysterious scenario appearing inside her mind. The voices… the blurred images… those left her nothing but perplexity.

That was it. She needed a break.

Maybe she's just very tired and stressed out the whole day that's why she's haunted with these weird hallucinations.

But she knew that these weren't just hallucinations. She knew that it meant something. When she regains her energy, she would look deeper into this.

"Hey… How are you doing?"

A voice suddenly came and interrupted her thoughts. She averted her gaze from the moon, and focused on the guy who approached her.

It was the blond-haired ninja who saved her earlier.

Hinata's heart started pounding fast. She seemed distracted.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I startle you?" Naruto then hesitated to come near her.

Hinata shook her head, "N-No. I was just surprised." She replied.

Naruto scratched his whiskered cheek. _Her voice is also similar to hers._ He thought. "Can I sit here with you?" he asked.

"Yes, y-you may." Hinata said shyly and scooted over to give Naruto space at the bench.

Naruto sat down beside her and looked up the sky. He was mesmerized by the beautiful moon. There was a comfortable silence forming between them, but the maiden immediately broke the ice.

"Umm… I haven't gotten your name yet…"

"OH! Yes, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo! Nice to meet ya, Tsuki!" Naruto said with a bright smile.

"Thank you very much for coming to rescue me." Hinata said and bowed from her spot. "I apologize for not being able to express my gratitude to you earlier… you did not only save me, but you also helped the ill guests. I am very thankful that you came to help us."

Naruto scratched the back of his head as he chuckled, "Hey, there's no need for formality. Raise your head. I just did what I have to do." He said, "Mizu-oji-chan was the one who told us that you went out despite the heavy rain to get some herbs. He asked us to find you so we did what we were told. Anyways, I'm glad that you're safe now."

Hinata lifted her head up and blushed slightly. She looked down her lap and smiled. "Th-thank you very much."

Naruto's eyes softened as he looked at her. Even if part of her face was covered with her hair, he knew that she was beautiful. He could see how much she resembles the love of his life.

_Stop that. They're not the same_.

Naruto clenched his fists and swallowed the pain inside his chest. Still… she looked like _her._ It was impossible for him not to care or compare… or assume that it was _her_. He smiled calmly, "Nee, Tsuki… your name means moon, right?"

Hinata nodded.

"It's a pretty name. You must love the moon, huh?"

"Yes…" Hinata said as she stared back the evening sky, "Whenever I look at the moon… it calms me. I always love looking at it. Even if it rarely shows up the sky because of the thick clouds, I never miss that moment just to see it."

Naruto followed the direction of her eyes, "The moon is very beautiful tonight." He said calmly, "You know, Tsuki, you resemble someone who is very important to me."

Hinata blinked her hidden eyes, surprised of his sudden words.

"The way you look, the way you speak, how you stutter… your calm voice… you resemble so much of that person." Naruto said. "Even if it's only the first time we met each other, I can sense that… you're very similar to her. Because just like you… she also loves looking at the moon, she sincerely cares for other people and she's selfless."

Hinata's eyes grew wide as she directly looked at the ninja.

Naruto began to sense that she felt troubled because of what he said. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that to you. I'm sorry. It's just that… I can't help myself. I know you two are different persons and—"

"There's a huge hole in your heart." Hinata interfered his words, "You're lonely… you're suffering." She said in a sad tone of voice.

Naruto looked at her in a puzzled manner, "What?"

"I can feel it… I can feel that you're suffering in the inside." Hinata continued. And then all of a sudden a scenario played in her mind anew.

_**"From this day on, we are officially friends. And I care for my friends so much, especially if it's you.**_**"**

She heard a male child's voice. She could see his figure… but it was still not clear to her.

_**"Naruto-san…"**_

Came a girl's voice.

Hinata turned away from Naruto for a moment and shut her eyes to focus on clearing the things she was seeing in her mind.

'_Naruto-san?'_

She thought. She knew that she heard the voice say his name.

_**"Plus, don't call me Naruto-san anymore. It's so formal! I'm not really good with honorifics." **_

_**"Then… is Naruto-kun all right…?"**_

Hinata did everything she could to see everything clearly before it ends again. And finally… she was able to see his face.

Blond-hair. Blue eyes. Tan skin. Whiskered cheeks.

The child looked so much like the Naruto she was with right now.

_**"Yeah, I kind of like that. Go with the Naruto-kun."**_

_**"All right, Naruto-kun."**_

_What is this? Why am I seeing the young Naruto-san? What exactly is happening?_

"Tsuki! Tsuki! Is there something wrong? Are you all right?" Naruto stood in front of her, grabbing her shoulders and gently shaking her back and forth. Anxiousness was completely visible on his face.

When Hinata heard his voice, the scene immediately vanished. She was back to reality. She saw him right in front of her, sincerely caring of what was happening to her. She saw him very worried.

"I-I'm fine." Hinata replied and inched away from his touch.

"Are you sure? Are you still hurt? I can ask Sakura-chan to check up on you." Naruto suggested.

"No. Th-that won't be necessary." Hinata turned down the offer. "I better go and meet my master. She must be waiting for me. Please, excuse me." She bowed and then walked away.

Naruto wanted to grab her hand and stop her from walking away, but he couldn't. He somewhat couldn't move his body… he just trailed her with his eyes, watching her walk back inside the mansion.

He could sense it. Even if she tried to hide it, he could sense that something was going on with her.

"Naruto! There you are!" Sakura then came snapping him out of his thoughts.

Naruto turned to Sakura.

"Kakashi-sensei wants to meet us. He said we'll discuss about what the Lord told him." Sakura informed. "Let's go."

"Oh, yeah." Naruto said. Before he left with Sakura, he took one last glance at the path where Hinata walked. _Why do I feel so involved? _He thought and then walked back inside with Sakura.

.

.

.

When Hinata entered the kitchen's back door from the garden, she leaned on a nearby table and massaged her temples.

She was affirmative… the child she saw was none other than Naruto.

But, why was she seeing that? Why was she seeing him in her mind? It was the very first time that they met each other… it was the very first time she had seen him.

Hinata closed her eyes and sat on the wooden chair. She leaned her elbows on the table with her hands not going away from her temples.

_What exactly is happening?_

She tried her best to solve the puzzle. She thought and thought and thought. Until she was finally able to find the most possible answer to her questions…

"It was Naruto-san's memories… I was able to see his memories…"

* * *

Shinra was seated on the bench outside the Inn, gazing at the starry sky and full moon. It has been four days since she had left the Land of Lightning. She hoped that everything was going well in the Ibara gakure. She hoped that Hinata was still safe. The whole day, she couldn't help but feel nostalgic and… guilty.

She was with Neji's team the whole day, catching up with the events in Konoha after the war. Neji even brought up Hinata. All this time… Neji knew that his cousin was dead. But apparently, she's not. She's still alive and Shinra was with her every single day. She knew where she was. She knew how she's doing. She knew that she's not dead. But she couldn't tell him that yet… Same goes for Hinata. All these years, Shinra knew that Hinata never completely believed the stories they told her about her past. She knew that they were still hiding something from her, especially the truth about her family. But here Shinra is right now… staying in the same Inn as Neji.

"Shinra-san."

Neji's voice snapped Shinra out of her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"May I join you?"

"Oh, of course, you may."

Shinra made space at the bench for Neji to sit down.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

Shinra smiled, "I am fine, thank you."

"I hope that Gai-sensei and Lee didn't bug you too much today." Neji added, feeling a bit embarrassed about his teammates.

"Oh, of course not! They didn't bug me at all." Shinra replied.

"That is good to hear." Neji said.

And then silence occupied the two. They just adored the beautiful starry sky and felt the gentleness of the cold wind. It was very tranquil and they felt so relaxed.

After a silence like eternity… Neji decided to shatter the ice.

"Shinra-san… may I ask you a favor?" he began.

"Hm? What is it?"

"Will you please come back with us to Konoha? You remember Hinata-sama's younger sister, Hanabi-sama. It has been five years… and she's still under that curse that the shaman casted on her. Tsunade-sama never gave up on searching for a cure, but there had not been any progress at all. I am asking for your help to check on the state of my cousin, Shinra-san. Maybe with your guidance… we could cure Hanabi-sama."

Shinra suddenly remembered all about it. Hanabi was also cursed… her soul was connected to Masayo.

"A week. That is all what I could give, Neji-san." Shinra said. "I will do what I can."

Neji smiled gently at her, "Thank you very much. We will leave this village tomorrow morning to head back to Konoha. Tsunade-sama and Naruto would definitely be delighted to see you again."

"Naruto?"

"Yes. He just came back a few days ago. He's completely recovered. He told me that he wanted to see you again to properly convey his gratitude."

It took a while before Shinra could speak.

"I-I see. It's very good to hear that. I cannot wait to see him, too."

Soon, Neji went back inside because of the ruckus that Lee and Gai caused. He politely excused himself to Shinra to take care of the new trouble that his teammates made again.

Shinra was then left alone outside the Inn.

_I must inform Tomoyo-sama of my journey and about Uzumaki Naruto._

Shinra thought and stood up from the bench. She looked for a safe and hidden place to begin sending telepathy to Tomoyo.

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:  
**

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! The next one would be published next week. Or if I find time again using my laptop(I'm sure I would) I'll be able to publish the next chapter soon.

Thank you very much for all the reviews!

Please, review agaaaaaaiiin!

I would like to say again that... I'm very happy whenever I read your reviews. They're all very special to me. You can say that it's childish and a little bit overreacting but... I cry whenever I receive reviews. Tears of joy, it is. ^^ And LeafRanger-sama... waaah. Honto ni arigatou gozaimasu!

**VOCABULARY**

**Kawarimi- substitution**

**Makibishi spikes- iron spikes**


	19. Chapter 19: Doubts and Questions

**a/n:**

*sigh*

I guess I spoke too soon about me not being busy since it's vacation...

I'm sorry about that! I didn't know that I will be busy this week and the first few weeks of April. :( I need to attend a workshop to prepare for my talent test on April 20. Wish me luck! I hope I find time to update.

Thank you so much for the reviews! 205 reviews! ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU!

Now that I looked back at some chapters... I failed with a disclaimer. XD Haha. I don't know what's going on my mind when I typed "I DO NOT OWN KHR" on chapter 11. Maybe I was thinking of Squalo or Xanxus or Kyoya that time. Oh well.

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. (yeah. I got this right)**

* * *

**Chapter 19: Doubts and Questions**

Tomoyo was finished with her work for today. The Lord finally allowed her to be excused and rest after the long tiring day. She was being accompanied by a servant to assist her to her room, but suddenly she felt Shinra's aura.

"You may leave me here. I can manage." Tomoyo told the servant.

"Are you sure, Milady?" The servant asked and Tomoyo nodded. And when the servant excused herself, Tomoyo began to observe the hallways, making sure that no one else was with her. She walked farther and located a dark empty hallway. For a moment, she stayed there quietly and concentrated on receiving the telepathic message that Shinra sent her.

'_**Tomoyo-sama. I apologize for I would not be able to return yet. During my way back, I have encountered Neji-san and his team. He asked for my assistance to help cure Hanabi-sama. We will leave tomorrow morning as soon as the sun rises. Please, do not worry about me. I will not speak the truth about Hinata-sama. I am unsure of when I would be back, but I will leave Konoha if I could do no more to help Hanabi-sama. Please, be careful. Do not hesitate to call me if anything happens.'**_

_What? Shinra is on her way to Konoha? _Tomoyo frowned. _Doesn't she know how dangerous it is for her to do that? Help cure Hanabi-sama? Is she out of her mind? What if the shamans discovered her? _Tomoyo thought in frustration. She was about to respond to Shinra's telepathic message, but someone approached her from behind.

"Tomoyo-san."

Tomoyo slightly jumped from her position. She immediately turned to see the owner of the voice. Thank God it was only Keigo.

"You surprised me, Keigo-san." She said as she calmed down.

"Oh, I apologize. Is it not a good time?" He asked.

Tomoyo shook her head. "It is fine. To tell you the truth, I also wanted to talk with you." She said. "I know that it has been a very long time since we last saw each other and it really is unexpected for us to meet again in this place… but please… I would like to ask you a favor to let no one know that I am here. And… these people and this village don't know anything about who—what I really am. For all these years, my apprentice and I hid our real identities. I humbly ask for your cooperation, Keigo-san. Please… tell no one about this."

Keigo smiled gently, "I understand, Tomoyo-san. Your secret is safe with me. I have no intentions in giving you and your apprentice any harm."

"Thank you very much, Keigo-san. This means very much to me." Tomoyo said. "And… I would also like to ask you another thing,"

"What is it?"

"Those Konoha ninjas… they're also after the Scroll of Energy Detachment, am I right? I have heard everything about their discussion with the Lord earlier when I was in the Lord's kitchen preparing his medicine. I didn't mean to eavesdrop but why do they need to acquire the Scroll? I hope that they wouldn't bring trouble to our village."

"The Hokage wanted to study about the scroll. She wanted to try if using the scroll would be useful to her research," Keigo answered, "Listen, Tomoyo-san. I am willing to tell you about the real purpose of their mission because I know that you will be able to help them."

Tomoyo frowned at this. "Why would they need my help?"

"As you heard from the Lord earlier, only chosen priests are able to remake the scroll by following the procedure written on the copy. Next to Maeko-sama… you, Tomoyo-san, are capable of becoming the new Head Priestess of the Land of Fire. You are also possibly chosen by the scroll just like Maeko-sama. I could see no one else from the Sacred Forest to be qualified of being the Chosen Creator of the Scroll of Energy Detachment."

"Kakashi-san and his team were sent on a mission to obtain this rare scroll. This would be used not only for the Hokage's research… but its main purpose is to cure the Heiress of the Hyuga Clan. The heiress's soul was cursed and connected to another soul. I do not know to whose soul it was connected to, but to use the Energy Detachment? I know that the one who cursed her is a very powerful shaman."

_To Masayo_… Tomoyo thought to herself.

"I have thought that… you may be able to help them. Even though that they have gotten the scroll, there is still a very low possibility that it would work. Please, Tomoyo-san. I am asking you to help them—to help the Lost Sacred Priestess's younger sister." He paused, "I… I have never stopped on searching for the Sacred Priestess. Even if the Head Monk told me that it wasn't necessary, I kept on hoping that one day… I would be able to find her. So, please… Tomoyo-san. For the Sacred Priestess—please help the Hyuga Heiress."

"I am sorry, Keigo-san. But I cannot do that. I cannot leave this village."

"Are you worried about what the others would say if they saw you? Tomoyo-san… they have regretted everything they did to you. They want you back—to become the new Head Priestess."

"It is not that, Keigo-san. No matter what you say… I can never go back to the Sacred Forest. And it is not I who will be able to help them. I know for so long that it is not me who the scroll chose… but it is someone else."

"Then who is it?"

"If you return to Konoha… you will see her." Tomoyo said, "I must excuse myself now, Keigo-san. I shall look for my apprentice. I just wanted to make sure that the Konoha ninjas wouldn't bring any harm to the village. Have a good night." She then walked away to look for Hinata.

* * *

Tomoyo was finally able to locate Hinata. After asking directions from the servants, Tomoyo saw Hinata's figure from the partially opened kitchen door; she was seated on a wooden chair and her head lied down covered by her arms on top of the table. She pushed the door gently to enter the kitchen and called for the maiden.

"Tsuki. Tsuki."

It took a moment before Hinata raised her head.

Tomoyo looked down at the girl sweetly, "I have heard what you did for today. You did a great job curing those patients." She praised.

"Thank you very much, master." Hinata replied softly.

Tomoyo took a closer look Hinata, "What happened to your cheek? Where did you get that scar?" she asked concernedly.

Hinata brought her hand to her cheek and felt the scar, "O-Oh, this? I-it's nothing, Tomoyo-sama. I just slipped earlier in the garden…" she then felt a sting in her heart. She couldn't believe she just told her first lie to her master.

"Come here. Let me treat it." Tomoyo said.

"There's no need to. I'm fine." Hinata refused.

Tomoyo frowned, "Tsuki. What's happening? Are you really all right? You sound different…" she said.

Hinata averted her gaze, "I'm fine, Tomoyo-sama. I'm just… tired. I took advantage of the barrier you activated. I used some of my powers to cure the patients… and don't worry, only Mizu-oji-san knows."

"I understand. I know we can trust him." Tomoyo said. "Indeed, you have done a great job today, Tsuki. I'm very proud of you. Come on now. The Lord had a room prepare for us. Another long day awaits us tomorrow." She then turned away first, signaling for Hinata to follow her.

Hinata stood up from her chair. Before Tomoyo could go away first, she called for her.

"Master…"

Tomoyo turned back. The seriousness in Hinata's tone was different… something was going on definitely.

"Do I really know… who I am?" Hinata whispered.

Hinata's voice was soft but Tomoyo was able to hear it just fine. She was already used to her. She knew the maiden's voice when she was mad, lonely, confused, and troubled. Right now, Tomoyo could sense that Hinata felt all of that. She was mad. She was lonely. She was confused. She was troubled.

Tomoyo's gaze was steadfast on Hinata. The maiden was serious. She was always afraid when Hinata was serious because she knew very well that the girl was intelligent. Her intelligence was a great weapon… and Tomoyo always had a hard time dealing with that.

**Do I really know who I am?**

That was Hinata's question. A question answerable by YES or NO. A very simple question.

But for Tomoyo, it had complicated answers.

It was not yet time for the girl to know who she really is, where she really came from, and what her previous life really is. But knowing Hinata… Tomoyo knew that she will not be easily satisfied by the same answer that she usually gets.

Before Tomoyo knew it… she found herself not able to speak.

Hinata realized that she had brought great pressure to her master. She looked at her master's face and saw that it was pale and then noticed that her hands were trembling. She felt very bad making Tomoyo feel like that. Just like her, she knew that her master also had a very long, tiring day. Maybe it was not the right time to ask that sensitive question.

"F-Forget I asked that." Hinata said with a smile, "We must rest now… I can see that you are very tired. Let's go, master." She began walking towards her master and assisted her out of the kitchen.

In the night... they drifted off to sleep without speaking another word to each other.

* * *

The next day.

Hinata and Tomoyo rose up early to help the servants with the mansion. Tomoyo was still obviously affected by what Hinata asked her last night. She still hadn't said anything to the young girl and whenever their eyes met each other, she would immediately avoid her gaze.

Hinata wouldn't want to stay like this longer. She knew that Tomoyo was upset because she brought that question up again. She asked her that for so many times… but in the end she always received the same answer. _"You're an orphan. No one knows who you really are. But you are a very special priestess." _It's not that she thinks that her master is a liar, it's just that she couldn't accept that no one knows who she really is. There must be someone. There must be something else. There must be something hidden that had to come out.

They had told her that she was a priestess with rare powers. But the only ability that she didn't have was she could not look at the time. She couldn't foresee the future and look at the past. Different from ordinary priests and priestesses. They told her that no one could even see what happened in her past… but there was one person who saw her future. Why did everything have to be complicated? She knew that she kept hearing the same story over and over again… but why was she still confused? Why was she still unconvinced? Now that she began seeing Naruto's memories, everything got more confusing.

Hinata was walking at the hallways alone when she saw a servant carrying heavy two wooden boxes. She rushed to the female servant and offered her help.

"Oh, thank you very much." The servant said.

Hinata smiled at her. She then noticed what were inside the wooden box; there were scrolls. She knew that these kind of scrolls contained news, reports and complaints of the village.

"May I ask where would these be delivered?"

"The Lord's attendee ordered me to deliver these to the depot, Tsuki-san."

Hinata frowned, "To the depot?" she halted on her steps and the servant did the same. "Was the Lord able to read all these? Or the Lord's attendee?"

"I know not… but the scrolls just arrived a while ago." The servant answered.

"These were not yet seen by the Lord. Why are these delivered to the depot? We must go and talk to the Lord about this." Hinata said.

"But I was told to deliver these to the depot. I cannot disobey their order."

"Do you know what these scrolls contain? The letters of the villagers. The news. The reports. The Lord must know how the village is doing. Most of all, how the villagers are."

"I've been doing what I was asked to, Tsuki-san. I do not want to be punished… I do not want to lose my job. The Lord's attendee does this every single day."

Hinata settled the box on top of a nearby table. She began unrolling some scrolls, "The date… it's today." She opened another one, "This was yesterday…"

She continued on opening some and all the dates she saw fell during this week. _These were the reports of the villagers during this week._ And then she went back on scanning on the scroll that had the date today.

_Milord, please do hear us out. We, who belong to the third-class, can no longer bear such suffering. We cannot endure seeing our children being sent to the first-class homes to serve and work as slaves anymore. Please, give us justice. Our children are too sick to work… The doctors suddenly disappeared in the village and I, as a parent, do not know what to do anymore to save my child's life. Please, kindly help us. I beg of you._

"This is terrible… the villagers had no idea of the events in the palace yet. And now they need a doctor as soon as possible." Hinata whispered to herself. "We must let the Lord know about this."

"Please, don't do this milady. My job is on the line. I cannot lose this job… I do not have anything else to give my family." The servant said.

"I will be the one to take full responsibility." Hinata said firmly and brought the box with her, going back to where the servant came from.

"Milady, no! You mustn't. You will definitely get punished for this." She grabbed Hinata's arm.

"I am not afraid to be punished. I know what I am doing is right." Hinata replied.

"What is happening here, Tsuki?" Tomoyo then arrived with Kakashi. "What is that you are carrying?"

"Master, I need to talk to the Lord." Hinata said, "Can you see what these are? These are the scrolls from the villagers. The news and the letters. The Lord's attendee kept on disregarding this that's why the Lord does not know anything about the villagers' feelings—about their sufferings."

Tomoyo turned to the servant, "Where will these be delivered?"

"To the depot, milady." The servant said.

"Tsuki. Give that back to her and let her finish her task." Tomoyo commanded.

"What are you saying, master?" Hinata shook her head, "How can you be fine with this? Can't you see that these are the letters from those poor families there? We used to write letters for the Lord, too… and all of them didn't get any response. This must be the reason why. They do not even open and take a glimpse of our letters… and they still do that up to this day."

"You may go back to your work." Tomoyo told the servant. The servant then took the box from Hinata's grasp and went away.

"Tomoyo-sama—"

"You should not get involved. You do not know what they can do to you if you keep on disobeying them." Tomoyo warned.

"I need to get involved. This is the village I grew up to. I live here—as well as you, master. We have to get involved. Is it not right to give care to my home? To my neighbors? To our fellow villagers? We all live in the same nation… we all suffer in the same nation. Just like them… I can no longer bear the way of living in our village. For all these years… there is no equality. Are you fine with that, master?"

"The Lord is not in the best condition to deal with all of this. He just recovered last night. There are still more problems to face in this mansion. Go back to work for now. Let us go, Kakashi-san." Tomoyo said.

Hinata blocked their path. "I could not believe you, master. You're also like Rika-nee-san. Afraid to stand up for what is right. You're always hiding. You always don't want to get involved." She said, "I will go back to the village to see how they are doing. You cannot stop me on doing this. Please, excuse me." She then walked pass Kakashi and Tomoyo.

"Tsuki! Get back here this instance." Tomoyo ordered. But, the maiden didn't look back and just carried on. "It's dangerous to go back there alone on her own…"

"Tomoyo-san. You need not to worry. I could send one of my team members to guard her." Kakashi said.

"Would you be kind enough to do that? I know if I stop her, she won't listen to me. All I could do is make sure that she is protected." Tomoyo said.

Kakashi smirked behind his mask, "I know someone very suitable for that job."

* * *

Hokage Office 9.05am.

Gai's team was just done reporting to the Hokage regarding their mission. They are dismissed early but Neji asked to stay longer for another important reason. The Hokage agrees with this.

Neji then asked for Shinra to come inside the office to meet the Hokage.

Shinra entered the office, and bowed respectfully at Tsunade. "It has been a long time, Tsunade-sama." When she lifted her head up, Tsunade was able to immediately recognize her.

Tsunade's eyes widened upon seeing the visitor's face, "You are… the Late Head Priestess's apprentice." She said.

"Yes… It is I, Shinra." She introduced.

Tsunade then looked at Neji.

"We coincidentally found her when we decided to spend the rest of the day in a village yesterday. I was the one who offered her to come to Konoha. Shinra-san may be able to help us with Hanabi-sama's condition." Neji replied straightly.

"I am very much willing to help, Hokage-sama." Shinra said.

"Very well, then." Tsunade said, "Shizune has started some preparations in the Laboratory. Neji, fetch Hanabi. It is time for her daily check up."

Neji nodded and then bowed at the Hokage before leaving. He closed the door when he was gone.

Shinra gave a gentle smile, "The village is back at its best. I thank you for your great leadership, Tsunade-sama." She bowed in gratitude.

"Thank you." Tsunade replied, "I couldn't have done it without everyone's support… especially during the war. I must say that you were a very great help to all of us. There were many lives that you have saved, and mine is included in that. We all owe you very much."

Shinra raised her head, "You must not think of that anymore. I am fine by knowing that the village is safe and sound. I am delighted that I was able to help the village that Itachi sacrificed his life for." She said.

Tsunade and Shinra all of a sudden built an awkward silence between them. By the mention of Itachi's name, it couldn't be helped to remember different memories of him.

"I'm glad… that his sacrifice was not in vain," Shinra whispered.

Tsunade cleared her throat, "So… what brought you in the Land of Fire?"

"I visited Itachi's grave a few days ago. It was his death anniversary."

"I see." Tsunade said, "May I ask… How is _she _doing?" she looked directly at Shinra's eyes without blinking, hoping for good news.

"Hinata-sama has grown into a strong and wise young woman." Shinra answered, "She's doing very fine."

Tsunade sighed in relief, "That is good to hear." She said, "I am glad that she is safe. It was just a short time when she and I were together. But, I could feel that she was a very kind girl… and a very good daughter to the Hyuga Family."

Shinra nodded, "Even until now… she never changed. She still sincerely cares for everyone. A stranger or a friend."

"Now I fully understand why Naruto and Sasuke still care for that girl even knowing that she'd dead." Tsunade said.

"Oh, come to think of it… may I ask where Uzumaki Na—"

*knock knock*

A brilliant knock interrupted their conversation.

Tsunade groaned inwardly, suspecting that it would just be more paper work.

"It's open."

Shizune opened the door, "Master, the preparation in the Laboratory is finished." She reported and then noticed that the Hokage was not alone. She took a better look at the visitor.

"Shinra-san?"

"It is very nice to see you again, Shizune-san." Shinra greeted politely.

"You're back! Then… must it mean that…"

Shinra shook her head. "I came here with Neji-san's team alone. _She's _not with me."

"I see…"

Tsunade rose from her desk. "Let us go. From this day on, Shinra will be helping us on curing Hanabi."

Shizune seemed very delighted. "Is this real, Shinra-san?"

Shinra nodded and smiled.

"That is very great to hear! Finally, a priestess is willing to help us."

* * *

"Man, I 'm bored." Suigetsu complained for the tenth time this morning. Well, how could someone expect that he'd be having a great time with two freaking silent guys like Sasuke and Jugo? This was their second day of staying in an Inn in the Ibara Gakure and their leader wouldn't show any signs of wanting to leave. Jugo won't speak until Sasuke speaks to him. Sasuke wouldn't speak at all even if he's approached. The Uchiha jerk was locked in the depth of his own world again.

But, Suigetsu didn't care.

"Hey, Sasuke. How long do you plan to stay here? You even extended our stay here for a few more days. I thought that we're just gonna spend the night!"

As usual, Sasuke showed no interest of talking back to him.

Oh, for Pete's sake!

"Don't tell me you're still affected of what I said in the boat yesterday?" Suigetsu frowned, "Come on, I said sorry, didn't I? I thought we're fine."

Sasuke didn't even look at Suigetsu.

Suigetsu's eyebrow twitched, "Drop the act already! You're getting to my ner—"

Jugo all of a sudden placed a hand on Suigetsu's shoulder, calming him down before anything else.

"Sasuke is troubled. Do not disturb him."

Suigetsu scoffed and shoved his shoulder away, "Of course, you're forever on his side." He said sarcastically. "Know what? I'm outta here. I'm gonna have fun outside and meet some people who don't get haunted by a dead girl."

He began walking across the room, but before he could open the door, there came multiple knocks from its other side. He then opened it.

"Here you are!"

It revealed a small bald man. It was the man from the bounty office.

Suigetsu seemed uninterested. "What do you need?"

"The bandits you caught yesterday got away! You need to find them!"

Suigetsu walked pass him, "Not interested. I already claimed the price. Catch them on your own."

"Wait! Wait! We know you wouldn't do it for free! My boss said that he will double the reward if you bring those bandits back!"

Suigetsu halted on his steps and looked back at the bald man. "Is that true?"

The man nodded immediately, "Yes! He definitely meant that!"

"If you're trying to fool me… remember, it will be both your heads." Suigetsu threatened and began walking away to start on the job. The bald man began following him.

Sasuke and Jugo were left in the room.

"Jugo. Keep an eye on Suigetsu. He might cause trouble in this village." Sasuke said.

Jugo turned to look at Sasuke, "What about you?"

"Just go with him." Sasuke said firmly.

Jugo just nodded and did what Sasuke asked him to. He soon followed Suigetsu outside to begin looking for the wanted bandits.

* * *

Hinata felt really bad since last night. She just made it worse. Instead of getting back in good terms with Tomoyo this morning, she talked back to her and left her with impudent words. She hated herself so much… it was hurting her so much. Despite what had happened last night and earlier this morning, Tomoyo still thought of her safety.

"Naruto-san, you didn't have to come with me…" She said as Naruto was preparing the boat. "I can manage by myself."

Naruto shook his head as he was done settling the boat on the sea, "After all what happened to you yesterday? Even if Kakashi-sensei didn't assign me to guard you, I won't let you go alone."

Hinata blushed crimson red, "I-I can take care of myself…" she whispered.

Naruto hopped down the boat and offered his hand to her, "Come on."

Hinata hesitated first to accept his help, but what could she do? He was already here. Even if she continued on telling him over and over that he didn't need to come with her, she knew that he wouldn't go away. She gave him her hand and was escorted as she hopped down the boat.

When Hinata was seated properly on the boat, Naruto began untying the rope from the wooden post to be able to sail.

"So, which way is the village?" Naruto asked.

"N-North…" Hinata replied.

"Got that. Hang on tight now." Naruto said and then he began rowing the boat.

There was awkwardness between the two… Hinata wanted to say something but she didn't know how to start. They were sitting opposite to each other, face to face. She was not used being alone with someone else than Rika, Shinra, Shinichi and Tomoyo.

Naruto kept on rowing. He, too, didn't know what else to say. Well, the truth is he had so much in mind he wanted to say to her, he just didn't know how to start.

Hinata looked down the calm sea to avoid eye contact with Naruto. She tried to be relaxed as much as she could.

"_**Stop it!"**_

All of a sudden, she heard a female's voice inside her head.

"_**Please, stop it already… Naruto-kun is already in pain! It's me whom you're after, right? Here I am so stop hurting Naruto-kun!"**_

She began seeing a forest… she saw the young Naruto severely injured on the ground and the girl who was screaming ran in front of him and shielded him. Right in front of the young girl stood another woman. The woman had long black hair… she looked like a Goddess.

"_**You have guts to shout at me, young heiress. But, I admire your courage… Even if you know that you won't stand a chance against me, you chose to stand up for this ninja."**_

She heard the woman speak… it gave shivers to her spine.

"_**I will not be afraid to sacrifice my own life for him." **_The girl said.

Hinata strived to see who the girl was. She knew this was the girl that Naruto was talking about that she reminded of. But Naruto's memory slowly vanished… and she could see no more.

She was really confused… Whenever she wanted to look into Naruto's memories, she couldn't. But, when she didn't want to see it, it suddenly appears. It was out of her control…

"Tsuki? Are you all right? Hey, Tsuki?" Naruto immediately stopped on rowing when he noticed that she was acting weird.

Hinata came back to her senses when she heard his voice. She lifted her head up and stared directly into Naruto's concerned eyes. "I saw it again…" she mumbled.

Naruto blinked, "Huh?"

Hinata held back. She didn't want to tell anything to him yet… no one must know about the extraordinary skills she had. About her healing powers. About the memories she's seeing. About being a priestess. She couldn't let anybody else know.

"I-It's nothing. I just want to say that…" Hinata paused, "I'm sorry about what happened last night."

Naruto retrieved on rowing, "Sorry? What are you sorry about?"

"I'm sorry that I suddenly left you yesterday…" Hinata went on, "I felt very tired that's why I left… I'm really sorry."

Naruto chuckled, "You're thinking of that? Oh, come on. That's nothing! You don't have to apologize for that, dattebayo."

Hinata smiled nervously, "I-I see… thank you very much for understanding…"

"It really is nothing. Don't think about it. The truth is I should be the one apologizing for what happened last night… I told you things that I shouldn't have said." Naruto said in a low voice.

"Oh… I-It's all right…" Hinata replied, "Ummm… Naruto-san, may I ask… who is this person which is very important to you? Where is she…?"

Naruto looked up the cloudy sky, "She's long gone... It has been five years since her death,"

Hinata's hidden eyes widened, surprised of what she heard. She bowed apologetically, "I'm very sorry… I shouldn't have asked. I thought that she…"

"It's okay… you don't know anything so you don't have to apologize." Naruto said.

"Five years… did you… love that girl?"

Naruto took a breath and sighed relaxingly, "Very much. I love her very much…"

Hinata looked back to the sea. Suddenly, she was feeling very uneasy upon hearing his immediate response. Something was stinging in her heart and she couldn't understand why. She felt very affected. She somewhat felt hurt when she heard him say that.

Why was she hurt?

Why does she feel that she was very involved with Naruto?

Everything just keeps on confusing her so much.

.

.

.

Soon, Naruto and Hinata reached the village. Hinata led the way to where the clinic was, and Naruto kept a closer eye on her. Indeed, he was the perfect candidate for being her body guard.

After a minute or so, both of them reached the clinic that was located in the second-class area of the village. But much to Hinata's surprise, the clinic was closed. It was very unusual. The clinic must have been opened by this time and Rika would definitely not forget about the responsibility.

"Why is the clinic closed?" Hinata asked to herself.

"Tsuki-san? Is that you?"

A woman approached her.

Hinata bowed, "Yes, it is I." she said.

"Oh, dear. I am so glad that you came back!" The woman suddenly went closer to her and embraced her. "We will finally be saved!"

Hinata gently pushed the woman away, "Ummm, what did really happen, ma'am? What do you mean?"

"All the doctors suddenly disappeared… the masters we serve haven't returned since last night and it was supposed to be our payday. My child and the other children are very tired… they haven't eaten properly for days. Many are sick but there were no doctors around. And the tax collector… he kept on collecting more taxes in spite of the consequences we are facing. It's too much already." The woman explained with fresh tears forming in her eyes.

_That's right… the villagers didn't know anything about what happened in the mansion last night. _Hinata thought.

"Ma'am… I am going to open the clinic. I am willing to cure the sick citizens with or without Ryo. I will help you." Hinata said.

The woman smiled, "Really? You will do that for us?"

Hinata nodded, "Yes. Bring the children to me… I will definitely cure them."

"Thank you very much! Oh, thank you very much!" The woman exclaimed and began running back down to the third class area to call for the poor villagers.

Hinata unlocked the door of the clinic and entered inside to prepare. She tied her hair in a low bun, wore a white bandana and put on her white michiyuki over her blue kimono.

"Tsuki. How can I help?" Naruto asked.

Hinata looked at him, "Thank you so much, Naruto-san. Please, may you fetch three buckets of water from the well behind the clinic?"

"All right. I'll do everything I can to help ya!"

* * *

Konoha Private Laboratory, 9:48am.

*knock knock*

"Come in." Tsunade commanded in a stern voice.

The door of the Laboratory was pushed open and revealed the Hyuga cousins. Neji and Hanabi. "I have brought Hanabi-sama with me, Hokage-sama." Neji bowed politely and he beckoned the young heiress.

"_Ohayo gozaimasu_." Hanabi greeted respectfully.

"_Ohayo." _Tsunade replied. She motioned Hanabi to sit down on the chair in the middle of the room, which was surrounded by many writings on the floor.

Hanabi sensed something different with the writings on the floor. She usually sat on this chair during her daily check-up, so she immediately notices when something was changed or added. For all these years of entering this Laboratory—more of like an altar because of the darkness and the only lit candles were its source of light—she never considered this private laboratory as a laboratory at all. It was not white. There were no chemicals around. There were no scientists with white robes. It was like this place was built for her because of her mysterious illness.

Yes, mysterious illness.

That's what they called it to hide the truth from her. For all these years, everyone lied to her about the real condition of her body—soul. It was just last year when she found out the truth. Seriously, why did they have to lie about it? In the first place, she was supposed to know it of all people. That her soul was connected to someone else's. When that person dies, she also dies. And she could completely remember how she got that curse. It was the day when that beautiful woman came to their household, looking for her sister. That woman just attacked everyone in the house… and there… when their eyes met, everything went black for her. She despised that person… not because she cursed her but she knew that that person was the one who killed her sister.

But, Hanabi hated herself most.

Even if no one was blaming her… she knows that she's the main reason why they could not avenge Hinata's death. If they kill that Shaman, she will also be killed. And that means no more heiress for the Hyuga clan.

Hanabi clenched her hands into fists. She uneasily sat down on the chair and then she noticed another change. There was another person in the room.

Instead of Tsunade starting the examination, it was Shinra who took in charge. Shinra bowed in front of the troubled heiress, "_Hisashiburi desu_, Hanabi-sama."

Hanabi recognized Shinra in a heartbeat.

Just like everybody else, she was very delighted to see Shinra. Not only because Shinra was a very great help during the Second World Shinobi War, but because Shinra was like a fragment of Hinata. Whenever she sees her, she feels as if Hinata was still alive…

"You came back… Shinra-nee-san." Hanabi said.

Shinra smiled dearly at her, "I will do everything I could to help you, Hanabi-sama. This is the best I could do for your family…"

They begin the examination. Shinra instructed for Tsunade, Shizune, Miki and Neji to move farther from them before she started. The four followed her instructions and watched from the right side of the room. She knelt down in front of Hanabi and stuck her palms on the writings on the floor, concentrating her energy. She mumbled ancient spells and then a white light glowed beneath her hands, lighting all the words written.

Hanabi surveyed around her. All the letters were glowing. She stared at Shinra in amazement.

Shinra shut her eyes tighter as she kept on whispering ancient words. She intensified her powers more to have better access on seeing Hanabi's soul. The words began floating in the air and flew around the Hyuga daughter.

Tsunade gave Neji a look.

Neji swiftly understood what the Hokage was trying to imply. He activated his byakugan to check on Shinra and Hanabi's chakra.

"Shinra-san is trying to make Hanabi-sama's soul visible…" Neji said to the Hokage and Shizune.

"What can you see, Neji-kun?" Miki asked urgently.

"Wait…" Neji focused more and looked deeper, he began to completely see Hanabi's entire soul floating up. "Hanabi-sama's soul… is mixed with a violet aura—that must be Masayo's soul." He explained. It was the very first time he was able to witness it. It was far different by just seeing her chakra points. "Hanabi-sama's soul is engulfed with this darkness. She's trapped."

Miki's eyes widened as well as Shizune.

After a moment, Shinra stopped with the examination. She deactivated the floating letters, and it all disappeared into thin air on her signal. She slowly opened her eyes and stood up from the floor.

"You're done?" Tsunade asked and approached her.

Shinra nodded.

"What are your findings? What must we do to cure her?" Tsunade pressed.

Shinra was hesitant on answering the Hokage with Hanabi seated on the chair paying attention of what she was going to say. She wanted to deliver positive news, but nothing good came out of her examination.

Hanabi felt Shinra's hesitation. She looked directly at the priestess's eyes like a hawk, "Shinra-san. I am ready for anything. I'm not a weak child anymore… a lot has happened in five years. The Hanabi you knew changed already. I am qualified to be a chuunin already—I have grown."

"Hanabi-sama…" Shinra said in a soft voice.

"I command you to report, Shinra-san." Tsunade ordered.

Shinra snapped out of it. This was serious business. She shouldn't be hesitant. Tomoyo had always taught her to reveal the real condition of her patient whether it's severe or not. It was best to let them know.

"Masayo's powers are too strong. Even with my skill, I cannot do anything to dismember their connection. If I continued looking further and getting nearer to their soul… Masayo will feel my energy. It is dangerous if she found out that I came back to help you." Shinra began, "Five years is considered as a very long time when it comes to soul connection. It is a very rare case for being able to survive many years in spite of being connected to another person's life. Usually, it only lasts for months because this kind of spell is meant to take your victim's life with you when you decide to die. The longer the curse stays, it gets stronger and harder to lift.

With Hanabi-sama and Masayo's case… the curse could only be lifted with the use of the Scroll of Energy Detachment. But there are risks when—

Miki interrupted, "Yes! That's it! I'm right, Tsunade-sama. That scroll can save Hanabi-sama!"

Shinra looked at the librarian, "You know about the scroll?"

Miki nodded enthusiastically, "We have already sent our ninjas to the Hidden Village of Thorns, where the Scroll was secretly kept for hundreds of years."

Shinra's heart was pounding nervously, "H-How were you able to know that?"

"I once read a book about rare scrolls. And it was just a few days ago when I remembered all about it. So Hokage-sama immediately sent a four-man cell to acquire the scroll." Miki explained, "Kakashi-kun is the leader of that team! You don't have to worry because I'm sure they'll definitely bring the scroll here safely… Especially with Naruto-san's help!"

Shinra could feel her heart jumping to her throat, her eyes opened widely. "Uzumaki Naruto is in the Hidden Village of Thorns?" she whispered to herself.

* * *

Hinata bit her lower lip as if to conceal her emotions. She liked healing and helping people… but as much as possible, she didn't want to give that help. She didn't want to work as a nurse as much as possible. She didn't want to apply her skills as much as possible.

Because she didn't want to see people suffering. She didn't want to see them needing help.

It pained her so much… seeing that they were all going through a hard life and their masters care only about themselves. How can they be very selfish? Especially to children? Can't they see how these people and children suffer for them? They even take money from those who had nothing at all.

Have they no heart?

Hinata thought that it was best to ignore her anger first and just focus on checking her patients' condition. As soon as the right time comes, she'll definitely talk to the Lord about this.

Naruto had a very sullen look on his face. Most of the patients that were brought in the clinic were children. All of them were sickly thin—battered. Seeing them stung Naruto's heart. There were no children like this back in their village. But, this was a very wealthy village. The houses he saw were very big and everyone in the mansion seemed wealthy. It confused him.

"People suffer here very much… even these innocent children." Hinata said to Naruto as she was dealing with a young boy who was running a very high fever. "What you saw in the mansion… those wealthy people you saw there… most of them are heartless. They cared for nothing else but themselves. These people here are their servants. What they have gone through in the mansion last night was nothing compared to the sufferings of these persons. Do you think that if these servants were the ones poisoned in that mansion last night, the doctors would bother to come and cure them? They'll let them die…"

"But what about the Lord? Can't he do something about this?" Naruto frowned.

"I know he can… he just doesn't. I wrote several letters to him back when we were still living in the third class. But, nothing happened. Nothing changed. We were still the ones who helped ourselves… we all suffered in silence."

"You mean… you used to live like them?"

Hinata nodded slowly. "That's why I will fight for them… I will never get tired of helping them because I know how it feels for your voice not to be heard."

Naruto smiled deep inside. This girl was surely amazing. She was brave and intelligent.

"You know, Tsuki… I think you're—"

CRASH!

Hinata and Naruto shot their heads up upon hearing the deafening sound from the outside. After that they heard a groan from a man.

"Please, excuse me. I will just check on what's happening outside." Hinata said to her patients. She stood up and rushed to the door with Naruto. But Naruto blocked her way, volunteering to be the one to open the door in case anything else happens.

When Naruto opened the door, he and Hinata saw a man injured on the ground, with broken pots all around him.

"I told you to give us money, bastard! This wouldn't have to happen." A bearded man said. "Hey. You take every single Ryo that this man has." He commanded for his two companions.

They were the bandits.

"No… P-please, don't do this to me! I have a family, please!" the merchant begged.

"Shut up!" the other bandit said and forcibly took the man's purse.

"Oh no… he needs help." Hinata was about to step out of the clinic to rush to the poor man, but Naruto raised his arm to prevent her. "Naruto-san?"

"Leave this to me. Just stay in here." Naruto said.

Hinata's hidden eyes widened, "Are you sure? But you're outnumbered…"

Naruto smirked, "Hey, I was alone when I defeated those ninjas who attacked you yesterday. This will just be a piece of cake. Sit back and relax." He then walked out of the clinic and approached the bandits.

"Be careful…" Hinata said in a soft voice as she watched.

"You better stop doing that." Naruto told them.

They all looked at Naruto, the victim's eyes were hopeful upon seeing him.

"Give that back to oji-san. He worked hard earning that money." Naruto said.

"Don't tell us what to do!" the bandit shouted, "If you don't want to get killed, then mind your own business!"

Naruto chuckled, "I can't believe you don't know me. Come on. Give the money back if you don't want to get hurt."

"You're such a show off… Eat this!" the bandit raised his fist and ran towards Naruto to punch him.

"Hey! Wait! Don't attack him! That guy is—" the bandit leader shouted to stop his companion but it was too late on warning him.

Naruto casually dodged the bandit's attack and then he elbowed him on his back, resulting for the bandit to shamefully hit the ground.

The scene was starting to attract the other people.

"How dare you… you're gonna regret this!" The other one tried to kick him but Naruto rapidly blocked his foot as if entirely able to read his moves. He then used his curled fist to score a punch on his face, but just like what happened with his first move, Naruto's free hand caught his fist, "Hah! You're occu—" before he could finish his statement, the ninja pulled him assertively and head-butt him.

Naruto heard a cling when he head-butt his opponent because of the metal of his forehead protector clashing with the bandit's teeth. He let go of his enemy's hand and foot and gave him a fine knuckle punch on the jaw. The bandit went down to the merchant's booth.

The first bandit who attacked him got up, with vase on his hands. "Take this!"

"Watch out, Naruto-san!" Hinata yelled.

The bandit swung the vase towards Naruto's head, but Naruto, without looking back, blocked the vase with his arm making it shatter into pieces.

"Now, look at what you've done to oji-san's vase!" Naruto shouted and then turned to face the bandit. In a blink of an eye, he kicked him and he landed on the other pots of the merchant.

Two down. One more to go.

"Fools! I told you not to go after him! He's Uzumaki Naruto!" the bandit leader shouted at his beaten up members, "I'm outta here." He began sprinting away.

When he was a yard away, Naruto all of a sudden appeared right in front of him. "And where do you think you're going? You're just going to abandon your friends?"

"Get out of my way! I don't care about them!" The bandit leader shouted and was about to punch Naruto.

Naruto caught the guy's fist. He glared directly at the man's eyes, "You choose to abandon your companions? You're a bastard." He said and then held the man's arm. He pulled him and gave him a big throw. The bandit landed on his back hard as he screamed in pain. "You should start caring for your allies." He said and then walked back to the old merchant.

The crowd cheered.

Hinata ran towards the old merchant and knelt down beside him, "Are you all right?" she asked.

"Yes… yes, I am fine." The merchant answered as he tried to stand up. Hinata supported him.

"Here, oji-san." Naruto smiled as he showed the man's purse, "I retrieved it."

"Are you… Are you really Uzumaki Naruto?"

Naruto grinned, "The one and only!" he replied effervescently.

"I can't believe it… you're here. You were able to capture those wanted bandits… They escaped the prison last night and the bounty office has been looking for them since dawn."

"The bounty office? Then that means that when we capture them, there's a reward! Sweet!" Naruto said, "Go on oji-san. Take these scumbags there! You can use the money for repairs!"

The merchant blinked, "I-I can do that? But you're the one who caught them…"

"Oji-san, you need the money more than I do. Consider this as another part of my heroic help to you." He said.

The merchant bowed gratefully, "Thank you very much. I will forever remember this day!"

"We're going to help you take these bandits to the bounty office, old man." A man from the clinic volunteered.

"Yeah, I'll help too." Another said.

"Oh, thank you so much," The merchant said. They begin picking up the injured bandits and carrying them away to the bounty office uptown.

"Take care!" Naruto waved goodbye at them and then he and Hinata went back inside the clinic.

The patients in the clinic clapped as he entered, happy that someone finally stood up for people like them.

"Come on, you don't need to do that." Naruto scratched the back of his head vaguely.

"Naruto-san, are you all right? Are you unharmed?" Hinata took the arm that he used to block the hard vase to check if there are any wounds or shattered pieces scratched his skin. "Let me see it." She lifted his sleeves up to his elbow to see his arm.

"Hey, there's nothing to worry about. I'm fine." Naruto said. He suddenly felt butterflies in his stomach when she came too close to him. Her face was smooth and fair. Her hands were soft and warm. He just wondered how her eyes looked. Would they be the same as Hinata's?

"I'm glad you're not hurt anywhere." Hinata sighed in relief as she was done checking on his arm. She then went back on caring for the patients when a child screamed in pain. Naruto immediately followed her to help her.

.

.

.

In the afternoon, Hinata was finally done caring for the patients. She and Naruto were cleaning up and getting ready to close the clinic.

"Nee, Tsuki. Who taught you about medicine?" Naruto asked out of the blue.

Hinata removed her white bandana and settled it properly folded inside a cabinet, "My master, Tomoyo-sama, was the one who taught me."

"Hmmm. Since when? And how? With a community like this, how were you still able to learn?"

"We lived in a forest. Those first-class people are afraid entering the woods… so we took that chance to be able to live peacefully from them. Since there were many herbs in the forest, my master didn't have a hard time teaching me and my other companions." Hinata replied, "It has been five years since I started studying about medicine."

"Five years, huh? If we're the same age… you started at the age of twelve or thirteen. Just like Sakura-chan." Naruto said.

Hinata nodded and smiled, "Yes. I was of that age." She placed some unused pills back to the drawer and then wiped off the table.

Naruto made sure that the windows were properly shut and locked, "Then what about your childhood? Oh, and your parents?" he asked.

Hinata suddenly stopped on wiping the table, she wasn't able to answer for a while.

"Ok, these are properly locked." Naruto said under his breath and then turned to her. He abruptly noticed that something was wrong. "Tsuki?"

"I don't know… I don't remember anything…" Hinata mumbled solemnly.

But Naruto was able to hear it even if her voice was soft, "Eh? What do you mean by that?" he went to her closer.

"Oh! Umm… nothing. I-I mean… I don't remember much of my childhood." Hinata said, "We-we must go. I shall visit my senpai back in the forest before the sun sets." She folded the towel and placed it back inside the kitchen.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have asked." Naruto said.

"No. It's all right." Hinata replied.

When everything was properly taken care of in the clinic, both of them went out and left for the forest.

* * *

Jugo and Suigetsu were walking at the market.

"Why did you have go in a bar so early instead of looking for those bandits?" Jugo scolded Suigetsu.

Suigetsu cleaned the gap of his teeth with a tooth-pick, "Why? The bounty office was the one who asked for our help. They shouldn't complain of when and where we begin looking for those bandits. Besides, I took those criminals' money when I caught them. Their left with nothing and I'm sure that they're still in this village."

"And what if they're not?"

"Then I don't care. My work was done as soon as I received the bounty. I captured them and presented them already to the bounty office. It's not my fault that they got away."

Jugo thought that it was best to ignore the bastard. They better get over with this as soon as possible before a commotion starts. "Sir, have you seen these people?" he approached a man walking in front of a noodle stand.

The man took a closer look at the poster. "Ah, those bandits? They were already caught this morning."

"Caught already?" Suigetsu doubted, "Who could have done that? I could see no one from this village capable of defeating them."

"I heard that a ninja from the clinic in the second-class area was the one who defeated them. According to a merchant, he was really strong. He defeated these bandits immediately."

Jugo and Suigetsu gave each other a look. Since yesterday, they could not see any ninjas in this village. They were the only ones who arrived after a very long time according to the Inn keeper.

"Sasuke?" Suigetsu whispered, "_Masaka._"

They decided to go to the said clinic to meet this person who was able to easily beat those wanted bandits.

After a minute or so and asking direction of where the clinic was, they finally found it.

But unfortunately when they arrived, it was already closed.

* * *

Hinata and Naruto were at the entrance of the forest.

"Naruto-san, I'm sorry but I cannot let you come with me from this point." Hinata said in an apologetic tone.

Naruto frowned, "What? Why? You know I can't do that. I'm supposed to guard you wherever you go, especially in a forest."

"I'm really sorry. I also want to bring you over because I know that we can trust you but… it's Tomoyo-sama's number one rule. We can't take the risk of letting others easily find our house in the middle of the forest. I can't disobey her…" Hinata explained.

Naruto made a sour face, "Others. So I'm just considered as "OTHERS" after I saved your life?" he sulked.

"Na-Naruto-san… I'm really sorry. Please, don't be like that. I'll definitely tell Tomoyo-sama when we get back." Hinata said, "Of course… Naruto-san is not a stranger to me anymore. You saved my life… and you even spend your time on guarding me. Even if it's just yesterday when we met… I already consider you as my friend." Hinata smiled sweetly at him.

Naruto was stunned when he saw her smile.

_That kind of smile… that sweet smile… it was the same as Hinata's._

He thought as he stared at her softly.

"I must go visit Rika-nee-san and Shinichi-kun… I will be back soon. Please, do wait for me in the village." Hinata bowed and entered the forest.

Naruto was about to follow her, but something stopped him… a serious thought stopped him from taking another step.

_And who the hell is this Shinichi-kun?!_

Naruto suddenly felt a fire light up inside of him. Whether she liked it or not, he's definitely going to follow her.

"Shinichi-kun!"

Hinata called for the boy who was sweeping outside the small house.

"Hinata-nee? You're back!" Shinichi exclaimed and ran toward her to give her a warm embrace.

Hinata hugged him back.

Shinichi looked behind Hinata, "Where is Tomoyo-sama?"

Hinata stared down the ground, "Tomoyo-sama is still in the mansion… she's not done treating the Lord yet. But I came here with an escort, I asked for him to wait in the village."

"I see… how are the things in the mansion? What did really happen?" Shinichi asked.

Hinata gave Shinichi an overview of what really happened last night. She watched her words for she didn't want to tell anything very sensitive to the ten-year-old child. Especially what happened to her in the forest, the memories she started seeing and her fight with Tomoyo.

"Where is Rika-nee-san? I went to the clinic this morning and it was closed…" Hinata said.

"Oh, Rika-nee-san is very sick since last night. She went out looking for more herbs in this forest when it was raining really hard…" Shinichi explained.

"That's terrible. I shall see her at once." Hinata looked very worried. She rushed inside the house and went straight to Rika's room. Then, she saw her senpai there, bed-ridden.

Rika woke up when she felt somebody opened her door.

"Tsuki… you're back." She said with widened eyes. She tried to stand up but Hinata quickly went to her and prevented her from moving.

"You should stay in bed." Hinata suggested. She then placed her hand on top of Rika's forehead. "You really are running a very high fever. Stay here, I'll make you a soup."

"Thank you… Tsuki, where is Tomoyo-sama?"

"She's still in the mansion… I came back here alone but I was escorted. My escort is waiting back in the village." Hinata explained briefly as she stood up and walked to the kitchen.

After ten to twenty minutes, she was done making the hot soup. She prepared a small table beside Rika's futon and placed the bowl of soup on top of it. She helped Rika to sit up from her futon to be able to eat.

"Sorry for the trouble…" Rika said.

"Don't mention it… you should focus on getting better, Rika-nee-san." Hinata said.

"_Itadakimasu_." Rika prayed and then began to eat her soup.

Hinata watched Rika as she ate, "You need to get back to your feet soon, okay? Tomoyo-sama will be very lonely if she hears that you are sick."

Rika nodded, "I will. I don't plan to stay in this bed longer. The clinic is waiting for us." She said with a smile.

"Just don't push yourself too hard." Hinata reminded.

Rika took another sip at her soup, "So… what exactly happened in the mansion? What was this urgent call yesterday?"

Hinata began to tell the story to Rika. The spies—the poisoned guests—the state of the Lord—how she cured the patients—that Mizu knows about her secret skills. But she definitely skipped the part when she was chased after the spies in the Lord's forest.

"You should have not helped those rich people. They deserve to be poisoned and die." Rika said.

"Don't say that, Rika-nee-san." Hinata said, "Let's just hope that they become better people when they return to their homes this evening. Maybe they'll realize how precious human life is…"

"Oh, they already know how precious their **own** lives are." Rika pressed.

"Let's just hope for the best…" Hinata whispered and then looked down.

Rika took a closer look at Hinata and then sighed, "You haven't told me everything, have you? Come on, what's the problem? I noticed that you were acting differently since you came back."

Hinata took a deep breath before anything else, "Tomoyo-sama and I had an argument earlier… I saw a servant this morning taking away the scrolls and the letters from this village. I tried to take it back and bring it to the Lord but Tomoyo-sama forbade me… saying that I shouldn't be involved…" she narrated. "And last night… something strange happened."

Rika shot her head up and looked directly at Hinata. She had never seen the maiden so troubled.

"Rika-nee-san… did you really tell everything about me?" Hinata said in a serious tone of voice, "Do I know everything that I have to know about myself?"

Rika gulped hard, "Wh-why are you saying this?" she felt her hands began to get clammy.

"I'm very confused, Rika-nee-san… I don't know what to think of anymore." Hinata tried to hide the shakiness of her voice, "Yesterday… I suddenly started seeing things that I have never seen before. I-I could see someone else's memories." Her voice trailed off in the last part, but Rika still managed to understand it well.

"You, Shinra-nee-san and Tomoyo-sama told me that I had extraordinary priestess skills. But I could never mess with time… I will not be able to foresee the future and look at the past. I could not even see someone else's memories. But why… why do I keep seeing someone else's memories whenever I'm with him?" she lifted her head up to look back at Rika's eyes. A teardrop rolled down her cheek.

"Tsuki, listen to me—"

"Please, Rika-nee-san… I need to know the truth. I'm tired of thinking… There was not a day that I hoped for my memories to come back… maybe—maybe this would be the sign that—that my memories would return soon, right?" Hinata's voice cracked, "Please, Rika-nee-san… you have to help me."

Rika clenched her fists on top of her lap, her whole body shook.

_No matter what happens… if Hinata-sama asks anything about her past, do not tell the truth to her. Not until she becomes a fully-pledged Sacred Priestess._

Tomoyo's voice echoed in Rika's head.

_I'm sorry Hinata-sama… but I must do this._

Rika shifted forward and kneaded her temples.

"Rika-nee-san?"

"My… my head… it hurts…" Rika said in pain.

Hinata rushed to her and gave her support, "Hang on, Rika-nee-san… I'll—I'll get you some medicine." She gently placed Rika back to her bed and then stood up to fetch medicine in the medicine cabinet.

…

…

"Shinichi-kun, take good care of Rika-nee-san for tonight. I will return tomorrow morning to check on her… make sure that she takes her medicine." Hinata instructed Shinichi.

"Yes, Hinata-nee." Shinichi nodded, "Be careful on your way back. Say hi to Tomoyo-sama for me."

Hinata smiled, "Yes, I will. Take care, okay? Lock the doors and windows when the sun sets." She said.

She then decided to take off.

Hinata returned to the entrance of the forest but she couldn't see Naruto anywhere. "Maybe he's at the village…" she wandered around to look for him but all of a sudden, something covered her eyes.

"Oh!" She jumped in surprise when she felt masculine hands cover her eyes.

"You're looking for me, aren't you?" Naruto said playfully, but he unexpectedly felt something wet from her face. He gently took his hands off from her eyes. He knew that what he felt were nothing else but tears. "Tsuki… you're crying?" he asked worriedly.

Hinata kept her back faced to Naruto. She quickly dried her tears, "N-No… Just… don't mind me. We must return to the mansion, the sun will set soon." She began walking away with her head down.

Naruto walked in front of her and blocked her path, "Tsuki, what happened? Really? I'm concerned about you… but whenever I ask you what's wrong, you keep on hiding it from me and saying that it's nothing. You know what, I don't believe you. I don't believe that you're fine. Why don't you tell it to me? I might be able to help you."

Hinata's lips trembled as she looked up to him, "Then… if I tell it to you… would you—would you be able to help me? Would you be able to tell the truth? Would you be able to take my pain away?" fresh tears rushed down her smooth cheeks again, "Tomoyo-sama didn't want to answer me… Rika-nee-san refused to speak to me… can anybody else—can anybody else understand what I'm going through?"

Naruto stared back at her, shocked by how she conveyed her feelings.

"You can tell it to me, Tsuki. I want to help you…" Naruto insisted.

Hinata shook her head, "W-what would you do then? What can you do? We barely knew each other… how will you be able to help me?" she then walked pass Naruto.

"Wait, Tsuki. Don't say that." Naruto grabbed her by the hand.

Hinata wiped the tears from her eyes, "I… I don't even know if that is my true name." she said softly. She pulled her hand away from Naruto's grasp, "Naruto-san… you do not know anything about me. You don't know what kind of person I am, so how would you understand? Those people who I'm with for all these years can't understand me and I, myself, am still confused of who I really am. Just how can somebody else help me?" She said and began walking away from him.

Naruto felt her hand slip from his finger tips. He just stared at the mysterious maiden as she walked away from him. He could feel that she was going through a lot. Those tears he saw… those words she said… no one had to be a genius to feel how much she was suffering. She was right; they barely knew each other. But that simple reason won't stop him from getting involved. It won't stop him from caring for her.

It won't stop his desire for wanting to help her.

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:  
**

I got carried away writing this chapter. Sorry if it's too long. XD it reached 10K words... haha.

Please, review~! Thank you so much!

**Vocabulary**

**Ohayo Gozaimasu- good morning**

**Hisashiburi desu- it has been a long time**

**Masaka- it can't be**


	20. Chapter 20: Hints of the Sunshine

**a/n:**

**Peeps! I edited this chapter! I thank Hektols-sama so much for helping me! :) When I read this chapter, I am not convinced with the Domon and Naruto fight too. So, with Hektols-sama's help and suggestion, I was able to edit this chapter and make changers with the fight scene. :)**

Heyaa peeps! I'm back! Sorry for the late update again. I was just finished with my Art Workshop in prepare for my Talent Test on April 20... on Saturday. Oh, gosh. I'm really nervous. It's soooo neaaar! Please, wish me luck again! I passed the entrance exam of my dream university(University of the Philippines), but the campus I passed was very far from my hometown. (U.P has many campuses around my country) So, we were trying to find ways to be able to study on a campus that's near to my home. And that is by applying to the Talent Test of Fine Arts! If I pass that... I won't have to go away anymore. :) Pleeeaase, do send me your prayers my dear readers! It will mean a lot! Thank you so much!

AND! I am such an idiot. I would like to thank an anon reviewer for saying something about "The Moon that Embraces The Sun". I always keep on forgetting to mention about it. Anyhow, I would like to say that this story was developed when I watched that Korean Drama. The plot was already made when I watched the series, and it helped me so much to improve this story. To tell the truth, this story was made when I was taking a shower at night last April 2012(wow, it has been a year since I created this in my mind), it came to me like "What if Hinata dies and loses all her memories and get resurrected by some kind of a priestess?!" and that's how the whole story began. :) Hehehehe. Oh, I like making long author's note. I was really amazed when I discovered the Korean Drama "The Moon that Embraces The Sun"... it really helped me a lot. Some scenes were actually based from the drama. I recommend you watching it. It's awesome!

Okay... Sorry about this rambling. I just missed Fanfiction so much! It's time for me to catch up some of the fics I'm crazy about. XD

Enjoy Chapter 20!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. **

* * *

**Chapter 20: Hints of the Sunshine**

Naruto and Hinata were both able to make it back to the Lord's island before the sun went down. The maiden uttered not a single word to him during their voyage and he didn't want to make the situation worse by asking over and over what was wrong. They reached the main gate of the mansion and the guards permitted them to enter.

Hinata had a grave look on her face but managed to round her lips a small smile, "Thank you very much for accompanying me today, Naruto-san." Her voice sounded thick but she tried to express her gratitude delicately.

Naruto waved his hands sideward casually, "Don't worry about that. I'm glad I came with you." He said.

Hinata bowed, "Have a good night." she politely turned away from him.

He called for her promptly, "Tsuki!"

She halted on her steps and turned her head to face him.

Naruto had a gentle look on his face, "You can trust me, Tsuki. I'm willing to listen to you… I'll wait for the time you're ready to tell me." He smiled, "That's a promise!"

Hinata felt a rising warmth toward the ninja. She smiled at him sincerely this time. "Good night… Naruto-san." She walked away and turned right from the intersection and disappeared from his sight.

Naruto stood perfectly still in bewilderment. He could feel his heart jumping up and down in his chest. "Shit. Why the hell do I feel this way? There's no way that I would..." he didn't want to finish the sentence. He knew once he said it, it will be inevitable. He shook his head and mentally punched himself. He decided to go look for his comrades to know the progress of their mission.

* * *

Naruto easily located his three teammates walking out of the Lord's ward.

"Naruto. Back already?" Sakura was the first to approach him. She looked beside Naruto and his side, obviously looking for someone else. "Where is Tsuki-san?"

Naruto cleared his throat, "Oh, yeah. She's left for some, you know, duties."

"Oh. All right." Sakura sounded a little bit disappointed. She was looking forward on seeing the maiden to ask her about more on how she made the antidote when they return.

"So, what happened to your trip with the girl? How was the village?" Kakashi asked as they all decided to walk back to their patrol area.

Naruto sighed, "I thought this village was the same as Konoha. It was really peaceful—no ninjas or chaos around but the villagers seemed to be suffering with the way of living here."

Sakura frowned, "Suffering? What do you mean?"

"Tsuki said that the guests here belong to the first-class, the rich people in other words. They all have their own slaves in the second-class and third-class people. When we returned to the village, the citizens were facing so much problems with food, money and health. Especially with the children." Naruto explained.

"So everything we saw here was nothing but falsehood. We all thought that this was a wealthy village—almost perfect." Shikamaru said, "But there's strong inequality."

"I can't believe it." Sakura was dismayed.

Naruto went on with his stories. He told his companions everything that Tsuki told him when they were at the village. Just like him, his teammates were pretty convinced that this independent nation was run by a foul and rotten leader. He even said that he wanted to help the people change their lives but Kakashi immediately forbade him to, saying that the problem of the village was none of their concern. They should just focus on their mission, and that is to bring the scroll to Konoha Gakure.

Even if he wanted to help Tsuki and the villagers, Kakashi had a point. The state of the village was none of their concern. They encountered many villages like this in their past missions but they do not get involved with its private business as much as possible. They have notable forehead protectors representing their village, getting involved with dangerous affairs would endanger Konoha.

"So, what did the Lord say? When will he give us the scroll?" Naruto asked, changing the topic.

"He cleared to us that he is convinced to leave it under our hands." Kakashi said, "He asked for one more day for us to stay here in his mansion for patrol. After that, he'll give the scroll to us and we're free to leave."

Naruto nodded, informed enough of what he had missed when he was gone, "I see. Then we'll leave the day after tomorrow? So soon…"

Sakura raised her eyebrows, "And why do you look depressed? Isn't it great that we can leave soon to cure Hanabi-chan?"

"Of course, I felt great when I heard that! What are you talking about, Sakura-chan?" Naruto laughed awkwardly.

Shikamaru placed his arms behind his head, "It's obvious you don't want to leave yet because of that mysterious girl."

Naruto shot Shikamaru a sharp glare, "Shut up! And what the heck are you saying?" he was completely a denial.

Sakura remained quiet about the matter.

"Anyways!" Naruto changed the discussion, "What about those guests? Where are they?"

"Oh, they all left before you came back. I presume that they're back at the village now." Kakashi said.

"Okay." Naruto seemed convinced. Before he gets interrogated again with some personal matters such as Tsuki, he decided to go back on patrolling the mansion. Sakura also went back to her job, as well as Kakashi.

Shikamaru yawned and chose to take it easy for a while. He walked in his usual manner at the hallways and thought to himself…

_He sees Hinata in that girl._

Much that he hated to admit it, he was afraid that that would continue to happen. Indeed, Shikamaru was afraid not only for Naruto, but also for the maiden.

* * *

Hinata looked certainly restless. She had been visiting every room in the mansion looking for her master. But there was no progress at all. She'd been walking around for some time now but she could see no signs of the image of her master.

_Tomoyo-sama, where are you?_

She thought ruefully.

She continued on searching for Tomoyo. After a minute or two, she finally saw her at a terrace overlooking the wide sea of the village and the forest of thorns. How relieved she was to finally see her.

"Tomoyo-sama…" she approached her gently in order not to give the lady a shock.

Tomoyo turned, delighted to hear the sweet maiden's voice. The anxiousness on her face faded when she saw her apprentice at last. She was back safe and sound. "Oh, I'm glad you have returned." There was a happy melody in her voice.

Hinata bowed, "I am back…" she said softly.

"How was your journey to the village? The clinic? The citizens? How are they?"

"The villagers went through a lot since last night… they've suffered even more. There was no enough supply of food, the children were very sick and the tax collector forcibly took money from them every now and then." Hinata looked down sympathetically, "The atmosphere was heartbreaking."

Tomoyo had a solemn look on her face, "And their masters just left the mansion before you came back. I suppose they got back to their respective homes… the citizens would return to their cruel lives again with their masters."

Hinata nodded inwardly, "I also went to the forest to visit Shinichi-kun and Rika-nee-san. The clinic was closed today because Rika-nee-san is sick."

Tomoyo looked seriously worried, "How is she now?"

"I gave her medicine before I left. I told Shinichi-kun to take care of her and make sure that she drinks her medicine for tonight."

"I see… it must have been hard for Rika to handle the clinic on her own. The other doctors were nowhere to be seen in the village yesterday too. She probably dealt with all the patients on her own. It really is hard if Shinra is not here."

"Umm… master?"

"Yes?"

Hinata rushed towards Tomoyo without a word and embraced her tightly.

Tomoyo was surprised by the maiden's actions. Then she felt her shivering and then heard her sobbing.

"I'm—I'm very—so—sorry—mas—ter! I'm—sorry!" she said in between her sobs. River of tears were flowing down her smooth cheeks.

"Tsuki? Why are you apologizing?" Tomoyo began to pat the maiden's back to comfort her.

"I'm… sorry for what I said to you—this morning. I-I didn't mean it all… I didn't mean it… please—please forgive me, master."

Tomoyo smiled placidly and closed her eyes as she returned the embrace to Hinata warmly, "Hush, now, my dear. Shed no more tears… You do not have to apologize for anything. I am not mad at you." She said in a mother-like tone.

Hinata continued weeping, "I'm sorry… I'm really sorry…" she kept on saying over and over.

Tomoyo stroked her hair, "It's all right… everything's all right now, Tsuki. Do not cry anymore… You have nothing to apologize for." She knew herself that Hinata took this very hard. The maiden was that kind of person. She was the type who couldn't stand having bad feelings toward another person, specifically if it was her, Rika, Shinra or Shinichi. The last time Hinata had an argument with Rika, she hardly slept at night because of such guilt. Hinata could easily feel guilty if she talks back to any of them.

Hinata was starting to feel light. The heaviness in her chest was starting to slowly disappear but she kept on saying her sorry. She wanted to apologize to her until she was satisfied—until all was out of her chest.

Tomoyo embraced Hinata tighter if that was still possible, "You are such a nice girl…" she whispered to her. She felt really bad because the girl kept on apologizing.

_If she only knew…_

Tears were starting to form in her eyes. She couldn't hold it in anymore… but she tried her best to weep quietly for Hinata not to notice at all.

_If you only knew, Hinata-sama… If you only knew how much we owe you…_

Tears streamed down Tomoyo's cheek.

_If you only knew how much I have sinned to you…_

Tomoyo bit her lower lip to suppress her emotions.

_I shall be the one apologizing for everything I have done…_

* * *

The sun rose in the sky but covered with thick clouds. The first thing that Naruto saw was a lightning strike—yes, it was the Land of Lightning, all right. He got up early today helping the guards survey the mansion again but he had another reason why he was so eager on patrolling. Simply, he wanted to find the maiden to see if she was fine—a deeper word for that—safe. Unfortunately after spending hours of guarding the mansion he didn't see the maiden anywhere. He wondered where she was…

"There you are, Naruto! I've been looking all over for you!"

Sakura appeared from behind and approached him.

Naruto turned, "Why, Sakura-chan?"

"Have you forgotten Kakashi-sensei's instruction last night? You and I are assigned to patrol around the Forest of Thorns." Sakura felt a short shiver through her spine upon the mention of the dreadful place, "Come on!"

"Oh, yeah! Sorry about that." Naruto just laughed it off.

The two Konoha ninjas made their journey to the Forest of Thorns. They rode a boat from the Lord's island, and in a matter of minutes, they reached the shore of the creepy forest.

"Good day to you both!" the old man living near the forest greeted them enthusiastically. "Patrolling again, eh? Are you now permanently guards in the mansion?"

"No, ji-chan. We're just on a mission; we'll be living tomorrow." Naruto answered.

"I see." The old man nodded, "Indeed, Keigo-san's stay was longer than his usual ones. Was the Lord sick?"

Sakura smiled, "Worry not. The Lord is fine. Keigo-san wanted to stay longer for… some reasons. He got tired on our journey."

The old man guffawed, "Hah! He's getting older, all right. The monk wouldn't admit it, but he sure is not getting any younger." He joked.

Sakura and Naruto laughed a little to acknowledge the old man's humor.

"I know you two are busy so I shall leave. I'll be just there in my cottage repairing some oars if you need me." The old man said and took his leave.

"Have a nice day, ji-chan." Naruto said.

He and Sakura began their patrol just around outside the forest. As usual, the place was filled with creepiness and scariness. No matter how hard he tried to look inside, he could see nothing but prickly black thorns. The silence of the surroundings made it scarier. He couldn't help but wonder how the old man keeps on living with an atmosphere like this?

"Naruto… can I ask you something?"

Sakura suddenly spoke.

As they were walking side by side, he gave her a side glance. "Sure."

"You must answer me truthfully." She said and directly stared at his blue eyes.

Naruto noticed the seriousness in her tone. He didn't speak back but let her say what she wanted to say.

"What do you think of that girl—Tsuki?"

She began.

He then looked ahead and torn his gaze away from the pink-haired kunoichi. A few seconds were counted before he could give his answer to the girl's unexpected question.

"She's a mysterious girl." He said, "Based from my observation and experiences with her… I found out that she's kind, genuine, brave and intelligent. She sincerely cares for those people in the village. I can see how she looked and treated those poor children—how she wanted to fight for them. I think that she really is a wonderful person and I want to know her better."

"Why?" she asked curiously.

"Because I felt something. I saw her cry yesterday and I heard how the way she spoke when I asked her what was wrong. There was something strange… I can feel her pain. I know that she's silently suffering because I knew myself how that felt… for your voice not to reach anybody." He looked down.

"Is that only it?" Sakura said in a heavy voice, "Is there nothing else? Nothing else at all?"

Naruto eyebrows furrowed, "What?"

"Answer me. Is that only it?" she demanded.

Naruto glared at her sharply. "What are you trying to imply?"

"Answer me, Naruto."

"What else is there then? What else is needed to be _there_? Is it wrong for me to be worried of another person? I just want to help her because I could feel that she's going through something that I once went through. What's wrong with that?"

"Are you developing feelings to her?"

"Huh?"

"Do you like her?"

"Come on, Sakura-chan. What's gotten into you? Why are you like this?"

"Why don't you just answer me?!" She raised her voice.

Both of them halted on their steps. He faced her, "No. There's nothing else. That's all. And I don't feel _that way_ towards her." he said sharply.

Sakura stared back at his eyes. "Are you sure that you do not see Hinata-san in her?"

Naruto froze on his spot. He remained silent for a while.

"Now, why won't you answer? Then, Shikamaru's right isn't he? You see Hinata-san in Tsuki-san ever since you saved her." Sakura said.

Naruto turned away from her and started leaving to avoid the topic, but Sakura grabs his arm to stop him.

"Naruto." She said in a firm voice.

Naruto shoved her away from him and glared at her intensely, "Why? Do you think I'm not stopping myself?" he said in a cold ring, "I kept reminding myself that she and Hinata are not the same… They are different people. But after all these years, you know that there's no other person I loved more than Hinata… so I couldn't help it. I couldn't help but think that she and Tsuki are the same people. Tsuki looked like her. She reminds me so much of her. The way she speaks, her attitude, her everything… it was like Hinata if she were alive!"

"Hinata-san is long dead, Naruto." Sakura pressed emphatically. "You cannot replace her with someone you met who just looks like her. What do you think Tsuki-san would feel if she knew about this? If she knew that you only care for her because she resembles a dead person?"

Naruto frowned, "It's not that—"

"Not that?" Sakura cut his words, "But for me, Shikamaru and Kakashi-sensei… it looks like _that_. You're attracted to the girl because she reminds you of Hinata-san. You care for her because you see Hinata-san in her. It is Hinata-san you are seeing… _not_ Tsuki-san. I have no problems if you start developing feelings towards her… but make sure that you care for her being as **Tsuki**. Not being **Hinata**. If this continues, the both of you will end up getting hurt in different ways."

Before their argument could get any worse, they abruptly felt a very strong aura coming from the forest of thorns.

A very strong wind blew towards them as they both readied themselves in a defensive stance.

Naruto began surveying with his eyes and it didn't take long for him to locate the source of the very strong power they were feeling.

They both saw a man in black cloak walking out of the forest.

* * *

"You didn't ought to do this, young lady. It's my job to make the Lord's breakfast." The lord's personal chef, a middle aged lady with brown curls, told to Hinata in a grateful tone.

Hinata gave her a soft smile, "Do not worry about that, please. I have seen you working so hard and you definitely need a break, ma'am. I will be the one to deliver the Lord's breakfast to his room, after all, Tomoyo-sama left me to give my best assistance on taking care of the Lord."

"You are such a hardworking girl. I am so glad that you came to help us." The woman said. "Do call me if you need something. I will just be at the dining hall." Hinata nodded at her and then she left.

Hinata pulled the tray of the Lord's breakfast and began walking out of the kitchen. She carefully watched her steps in order not to spill any of the Majesty's expensive food as she went up the staircase. After a minute or so, she made it to Lord Hiromitsu's room. She was about to knock, but she heard the Lord's voice.

"My son will return tomorrow from his journey. Make sure that everything is in proper places. I don't want him to worry about what had happened to the mansion the other night."

"But Lord, the young master will definitely notice. Why not tell him as soon as possible?"

"My son is tired from his journey. I do not want to stress him! If he finds out, he will surely dictate war. With the state of our nation, we will lose this war—we will lose this village. You know that my boy isn't as wise as you think. He is after revenge no matter what happens."

"I see. But what about the villagers? Soon, they will definitely find out about what happened. With those servants lurking around, and those two doctors—how are they going to stay silent?"

"Then, death it is."

Hinata gasped at the Lord's answer.

"I am not afraid to risk any lives just to protect this mansion. I don't value their lives—they value me. Because of me, they are alive. And I can do whatever I want with them. Imagine, if they found out about the sabotage and I, getting nearly killed, their sleeping brains would be awakened thinking that the mansion was brought down by only three mysterious ninjas—what more if they were more than that? They will have a mindset that they could bring down the mansion if they all work together and taking the opportunity of how weak our defense now."

Then there was silence in the room. Hinata stood quietly outside the Lord's door, trying her best not to get noticed. But all of a sudden, there came a woman's voice behind her.

"What are you doing here?"

Hinata was distracted that she nearly screwed up the tray on her arms. Thank God she was able to control her balance.

"M-Milady… Good morning." She greeted politely.

The Lord's wife stared at her impudently, envying of how Hinata was able to look great with that simple kimono. "Who are you?" she arched a brow, "You are not supposed to be the one serving my husband's breakfast. Where is Tomoyo-san?"

"My master went back to the village to check on the clinic and our ill friend… she will be back this evening." Hinata replied.

"She went out? Was my husband informed about this? How could she leave the Lord? She was his doctor." Yuuka looked furious.

"Tomoyo-sama sought for Hiromitsu-sama's permission… and it was granted. I will be the one to replace my master for today, Keigo-san is also here." Hinata explained calmly.

Yuuka was still dissatisfied. "A young girl looking after my husband? Make sure you won't make me regret this later." She said, "Go inside and serve my husband's breakfast."

"Y-Yes, milady." Hinata said and then knocked on the Lord's door. When she was given the permission to enter, she opened the door and came in with Yuuka. "Ohayo gozaimasu." She greeted respectfully.

Yuuka walked pass Hinata and went straight to the Lord, "Good morning, my dear. How are you feeling today?" she asked in a caring tone.

Hiromitsu smiled at her, "I am feeling a lot better, dear. You do not have to worry anymore."

"I am glad to hear that. You must eat your breakfast properly so you could go back to your perfect health quick." She said and ordered for Hinata to place the meal on the nearby table.

Hiromitsu took a better look at the girl, "You are Tomoyo-san's student, I presume? You are assigned to assist Keigo-san to take care of my condition."

Hinata placed down the tray on the table near the Lord's bed, "Yes, it is I. My name is Tsuki, milord."

Hiromitsu nodded, "All right then, Tsuki. I look forward for your service today. Being the student of Tomoyo-san, I know I will be in safe hands."

"Thank you for your trust, Lord Hiromitsu."

Hiromitsu smiled at the girl, "I heard from my attendee that you were the one who cured the guests and my servants. I'd like to express my deepest gratitude when I get better. For now, all I can say is I am very grateful for your help."

Hinata bowed, "It is an honor, Milord."

Yuuka was still gazing at her jealously. She didn't seem fond of the girl. She didn't like her one bit.

"Just tell me anything you want. I shall give it to you in exchange of your great help to us." Hiromitsu offered. "Gold? Clothes? Food? Anything."

Yuuka gave her husband an abrupt look, "What are you saying, my dear? Why would you do that?"

"My wife, this girl saved lots of lives. And her master saved mine. We are in huge debt to them." The Lord reasoned with Yuuka, "I would like to repay them for everything they've done in the mansion."

"I-I am fine, milord! I do not ask for anything in return. You didn't have to do that." Hinata refused properly in order not to cause more commotion.

"Hmph. I am glad that you know your place, young lady. You have shame left. That is good." Yuuka was being judgmental once again. Her usual attitude towards those people who are lower than her.

"Dear. Stop that." The Lord said, he then turned back to the maiden, "I'm sorry but I cannot give you the option to refuse. Tell me anything. You need not to be embarrassed."

Yuuka's eyebrows furrowed.

Hinata remained timid. She gulped hard and she tried her best to ignore Yuuka's disgusted glares. She knew that she will receive more insulting words from the queen but she had to do this since the Lord was insistent.

"Actually… there is something that I would like to ask…" she said softly.

"Why you little—"

"Yuuka. Stop this nonsense already." The Lord commanded firmly to his wife.

Yuuka was effectively silenced upon hearing her husband's order. All she could do was curse the maiden inwardly. Oh, how she hated poor people acting so pitiful in front of them. She couldn't trust them one bit! Because she knew that if her husband gave them help, they would never stop asking for more. Like a PARASITE.

"What is it, Tsuki?" The Lord asked gently.

Hinata gathered all the courage inside her to face the Lord, "I wish to speak with Hiromitsu-sama in private, please?"

That was it. Yuuka definitely despised this girl. "Who do you think you are? I don't—"

"Kohaku. Bring my wife back to her room. I will speak with Tsuki alone." Hiromitsu said.

"Milord? What are you—"

"I order you to take my wife back to her room." Hiromitsu repeated firmly.

Yuuka and Kohaku could do no more to oppose Hiromitsu's decision. Kohaku properly assisted the Lord's wife out of the room without saying a single word. Yuuka looked very pissed as she was walking out. When they were gone, Hinata's shoulder slightly relaxed.

Hiromitsu took a cup of tea from the tray of his breakfast and then smiled interestingly at the girl, his wrinkles building up, "This is the very first time someone had the guts to talk privately with me. Disregarding my wife and attendee, of course. I am intrigued by what you have in mind, Tsuki. You may speak."

Hinata swallowed hard to somewhat bring up her confidence. "Lord… when was the last time you were able to read the reports from the village?"

The smile on Hiromitsu's face melted and turned into a neutral look, "Why are you asking that? It is none of your concern when it comes to the letters of the villagers."

Hinata noticed the sudden change of the Lord's tone of voice. She remained polite as much as possible. "Yesterday I talked to a servant of your palace. I saw her carrying the box of the letters from the village—I was able to see the dates… They all fell within this week. But none of them were opened and read, milord. They were all being delivered to the storage room."

Hiromitsu arched a brow, letting her continue.

"Please, Lord. I beg of you… If you weren't able to read the letters during this week because of your condition, I will understand. But please… do not let those telegrams to be remained untouched and unread." Hinata said, "The villagers are suffering, milord. They need help… The food, the medicine, their necessities… they couldn't afford it anymore. Most of the children fell ill because of working too much—many are not properly eating nor sleeping. Pardon my words Hiromitsu-sama but those who live in the first class have gone too far. We cannot bear such huge burden anymore."

Hiromitsu took a calm sip at his tea. He was amused by how brave the maiden was to say something like this to him. Didn't she know that this kind of living in this village began from his family? From his forefathers passed on to generations to generations. For several years of ruling the land, it was the very first time he encountered a person like Tsuki.

"No need to worry, Tsuki. After all the service you and your master have given to my palace, I will fulfill your wish. I did say that I am willing to do anything to repay you. Tomorrow, first thing in the morning, I will send help to the villagers. Food, clothing, basic necessities—I will provide it for them."

Hinata's face lightened up, "Is that true, Hiromitsu-sama?"

"Of course. If that is what you want."

Hinata bowed her head, "Thank you very much."

Hiromitsu took another satisfied sip from his tea, "Just like your master… you impress me, young lady. By hearing your words, I presume that you are an intelligent woman. I admire your courage for speaking for those people."

Hinata slowly lifted her head to face the Lord again. He didn't look gentle. He didn't look approachable. Just like those other rich people she sees every day, he looked greedy. Greedier than them.

"But if you also want to add another request like changing the way of living of this nation—unfortunately, I'd like to say that that is impossible." He said straightforwardly.

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Years after years… those second-class and third-class people live to serve those who are in the first-class. That is the system we cannot change. Without people like us, they will not survive this world. They need someone like us who belong to the first-class. Those who are superior and powerful." He finished his tea and placed it back to his breakfast tray. "The strong live… and the weak die. I was taught by my father that. And I still live on with that motto always behind my back."

"Milord… as I told you… we cannot tolerate this anymore. I, too, have lived the first three years in this village belonging to the third-class. My family experienced how hard it was. We all suffered. We were treated like slaves. It is just now that we have begun to be treated with respect because we became a member of the second-class. But many are still stuck living in the third-class… all their lives they suffered for their masters. For the rich people. They worked nonstop. They dedicated their entire time to their duties… but they are not paid fairly. They are not treated fairly. As a fellow citizen of this nation… I could no longer bear to witness such despair, Milord. Please… this has got to stop."

"I believe I said that I am willing to fulfill your wish to help those people. But I will repeat… changing the way of living of this village will be impossible." He emphasized, "You know the law, Tsuki. Be thankful that you were gifted with such great skills and you were able to cure my guests. If it weren't for that, you will be punished by abiding the law. When this happens again… I will not hesitate to punish you."

Hinata clenched her fists on her side. It was good that it was only partly seen because of the sleeves of her kimono. She couldn't believe what type of person the Lord was…

"Is there anything else you would like to say?" he said to her.

She shook her head, "Nothing more, Hiromitsu-sama. I must go back to my work… I will return later after you finish your breakfast to check on your wound." She bowed at him and then walked across the room.

"It was nice talking with you, Tsuki. I expect to see you more." He smiled.

When Hinata was by the door and was about to open it, she turned her head to face the Lord again. "But, milord… I do believe that it is not you that we people need. It is the other way around. Without us… people like you cannot survive this world."

A vein appeared on the Lord's forehead.

Hinata smiled and bowed at him one last time. After that, she left the room of the offended ruler of their village.

* * *

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he readied his hand on his shuriken pouch. He doubled his focus when the man in the black cloak took his last step to get out of the Forest of Thorns. He never took his eyes off the mysterious man, he was not taking any chances.

"Who are you?" He asked.

But the man didn't answer. He kept his face hidden with the hood of his black cloak as he halted on his steps. He stood yards away from the two ninjas. _Shinobi from Konoha?_

_What is this power I'm feeling? Why does it feel so… dark? _Sakura thought to herself as she glared harder at the newcomer.

"State your name! If you come not to cause any trouble, we will let you pass." Naruto said.

But, again… the man didn't reply to his question.

_Uzumaki Naruto? I couldn't believe I would stumble to him in this village._ The man thought. A small smirk formed at the edge of his lips. _I guess I could have some fun before I get the scroll from the Lord._

"Naruto… I feel something bad about this. Could you feel his aura?" Sakura whispered behind Naruto.

Naruto observed the man sharply with his blue eyes, "Yeah. It was something I felt before, too. An aura I can never forget." He said thickly.

Sakura had a perplexed look on her face. But she remained steadfast to the stranger. If there were questions in her mind, it's best that she keeps it to herself first after dealing with this.

"Everyone will be swallowed by the darkness." The man spoke. He took a scroll from his sash and rolled it open. He threw it up and it began glowing.

Naruto and Sakura were prepared for anything.

"He's a fiend obviously." The pink-haired muttered.

Black sharp needles flew out of the scroll and went towards them. There were thousands going to their way. The two took separate paths to dodge the dark objects and began running around to find cover. But the best place they had was the forest; they didn't have a choice but hide behind those trees growing thorns. For a moment, they were able to shield themselves by hiding by the trees' wide trunks.

Sakura saw the black needles hit the trunk of the tree that she was using as a shield, she observed what would happen if an object came in contact with the needles_. The trunk melted… these are no ordinary needles. Not made by metal? What? Are they shadows… or pure darkness? He's starting to give me the creeps. _

Naruto witnessed the same. He saw the needles melt the tree trunk. He could see Sakura unharmed from meters away inside the Forest of Thorns and he turned his focus back to the enemy. A rage was building up in his chest by just looking at the man.

The man stood still on his spot. He whispered spells that only he could understand and in a few seconds, dark beasts were summoned. They were spirits in a form of beasts. There were five of them going after the two Konoha ninjas.

_Damn, this is bad_… _With Naruto and me inside this forest, we cannot fight well. _Sakura thought. But there was no time for being so pessimistic. She definitely has to forget the creepiness of this forest. She made it out once… and it was not impossible to make it out twice. Just as when she was starting to think of a way to get rid of those beasts, she saw Naruto suddenly attack the man without hesitations. Her eyes went wide in surprise.

The five beasts had their eyes on the blond ninja but he paid no attention to them. He was after the man… His eyes only sought for the man. His eyes were red and his claws were longer and sharper. A red chakra cloak surrounded his entire body as ran towards his opponent. He was in his two-tailed form.

"I won't ever forgive you!" he shouted in malice as he launched for a powerful blow. The beasts appeared in front of him to protect their master. Before the dark creatures could attack him, his whole body released a strong wind pressure that made the beasts blown away. When nothing stood on his path anymore, he readied his sharp claws to slit the man's throat.

The man smirked evilly. He didn't move from his spot and accepted the jinchuuriki's attack. But when the sharp claw sliced his neck, his whole body faded like an illusion.

Naruto paced left, knowing where the man would appear next. He effortlessly advanced swiftly towards the man in cloak by only one huge leap. When he gained distance between them, he charged his two tails forward to wipe the man's body out.

The man took a paper talisman out of his cloak and tossed it in the air against the direction of the ninja's two tails. A barrier was activated that protected him from the attack. Naruto's tails collided against the newly built barrier, but he added more force to be able to break the summoned shield. He threw himself forward to his tails and landed a strong punch to the barrier and it broke. But when the barrier broke, a strong impact occurred and blew him and the man away.

Naruto landed on his feet, the collision gave no damage to him at all, as well as to the man. He gritted his fangs and stood steadily on the ground on fours like a fox. His tails waving intensely behind him as he eyed on his prey.

**'Naruto, you must calm down.'**

Naruto heard Kurama speak inside him. 'How could I, Kurama? You know this type of person… and I've been waiting for a long time to see someone like him again.'

"This time… I'll make you pay. You have no right to make her suffer and take her away from me!" He shouted and began accelerating to the direction of the mysterious man. A ball of Rasengan forming on his right hand.

The man chuckled softly, _'This kid really is strong… as expected from the Great Hero. But **she** is still his weakness.'_ He raised his right hand and opened his palm. In a blink of an eye, a black rapier appeared and he took a grasp of the weapon.

As Naruto was running towards the man, the beasts were back and chased after him. The creatures all leapt to the blond in unison, their sharp big fangs all out wanting to bite his flesh. But before they could have their victory, tons of large trunks hit them and kept him untouched. He moved his eye to the right and saw that the trunks were from Sakura.

_Arigatou, Sakura-chan. _He mentally thanked and continued running to the main enemy.

Sakura went out of the forest and ran to the pile of huge rocks she saw. When three of the beasts discovered that the attack of the trunks was from her, they turned to attack her instead of Naruto. She began kicking the rocks toward them, she hit them accurately and was successful of eliminating them. Two more to go. Truthfully, she had no idea of how to extinguish these creatures. She was glad that physical attacks worked for them.

Naruto leapt up and landed his Rasengan towards the barrier. This time, the defensive barrier was stronger than the first one. But since he was using a very powerful technique, the strength of the barrier was useless even if it was upgraded. The defensive barrier shattered into pieces.

"_Nani?_!"

The man frowned and swung the rapier towards the jinchuuriki but Naruto dodge it immediately. With the Rasengan perfectly still on his hand, he swiftly bored it towards the mysterious man's chest. The man received Naruto's technique and would definitely suffer lots of damage. His cape flew and revealed his face. Sharp terrifying eyes. Long Brownish-black hair. He was probably same age as Kakashi. The man flew away upon receiving the attack, he traveled quite a distance into the deep part of the forest of thorns, going through the trees.

Naruto never saw this man before… but he knew… he was involved with Hinata's death. He leapt in full speed and immediately got where to where the man stopped and pinned him against the floor, strangling him.

"Speak. Who in the world are you?!" Naruto exclaimed in a threatening voice.

Despite the fact that Naruto's hands were tightly wrapped around his neck and his flesh on his chest burnt by the rasengan, the man could still chuckle.

"You have not yet moved on, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto frowned harder.

"You may be a hero… but you failed protecting that girl."

Naruto's eyes widened. His hands began to tremble. He wanted to break the man's neck… but something was stopping him.

"You must die… You must disappear from this world!"

Naruto pushed the man down stronger to the ground and destroyed the floor. But all of a sudden, the wind blew so strong and the man on the ground disappeared. Instead, it was replaced by the slender figure of the maiden he loved most.

"Hinata?"

His eyes grew wider when he saw that it was her he trapped with his arms.

The young Hinata stared at him with pitiful eyes.

"Naru…to-kun… wh-why? Why are you doing this to me?"

Naruto's tails disappeared as he immediately stood up and went away from Hinata. His red eyes turned back to calm blue ones.

"Hi…Hinata… No…" His voice cracked, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry—I didn't mean to."

Hinata sat up from her spot and touched her neck, she glared at him. "You promised, Naruto-kun…" tears flowed down her face, "You told me that you will protect me…"

Naruto's lips shivered. An invisible terror was rising up in his chest, "I'm sorry, Hinata. I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you. I promised, right? I promised that I will keep you safe. Trust me, please." He began advancing towards the poor young maiden. He hoped that she wouldn't run away from him, and he was thankful that she didn't.

He knelt down in front of her and embraced her slim figure. "I promise… I'll always keep you safe."

And then there was silence. Naruto didn't break the hug nor Hinata. She returned the embrace warmly and buried her head on his hard chest. He stroked her hair gently and treasured the moment.

But all of a sudden… he heard her cold voice.

"But it's too late now, Naruto-kun."

Naruto shut his eyes open and then the girl he was cuddled with vanished into thin air.

**"Naruto! Snap out of it! It's an illusion!" **Kurama yelled.

He heard his companion's voice. Everything around him faded and he returned to reality.

"NARUTO!" Sakura shouted on top of her lungs.

Before Naruto could react, he felt a rapier stab him on his right chest. "Aack!" It gave him a very painful feeling. A pain that he couldn't describe. He could feel darkness flowing through his chakra and his whole body system.

_Wh-what's happening?_

The man hid behind a tree, relieved that his illusion gave him time to get away from the jinchuuriki. If he hadn't gotten away any second, he'd be lying there dead. All of a sudden, he received a telepathic message.

**_ "Abort your mission, Domon. I need you to come back. NOW."_**

Masayo's voice said in his mind.

"Good call, my sister." Domon said under his breath as he struggled to bring his knees up. He was severely wounded and it is best to get the hell out of this forest now before the jinchuuriki attacks again. But he was lucky that he was able to stab Naruto with the poisonous rapier.

"S-Stop… w-we're not yet finished." Naruto said as he endured the pain.

"We are for now. But I expect to see you soon again." Domon said weakly and then mustered his strength at teleporting back to the temple of the shamans. He disappeared slowly.

"Naruto! Naruto! Speak to me!" Sakura rushed towards him and knelt down to check on the wound. A green glow of chakra appeared on her palms.

Naruto saw his teammate worried face. His mind was all cloudy and his eyelids felt very heavy. The next thing he knew, it was all dark.

* * *

Sakura brought Naruto back to the mansion with the help of the old man from the shore. They rushed him to his room immediately. Shikamaru acted at once by getting Tsuki and Keigo while Sakura and Kakashi remained to guard Naruto.

"Sakura, what exactly happened there?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura kept on healing Naruto, but it was only the wound that she could treat. "We-we were attacked by this mysterious man. Naruto and I tried to stop him but Naruto turned to his two-tail mode… he was furious against that man." She paused, "Then he was stabbed by our opponent's sword. I kept on healing him but it is only the wound I can treat. There was a poison flowing through his veins rapidly and it was the type of poison that I've never encountered before. It was spreading quickly and I don't have any ideas of what its effects would be. I-I don't know what to do."

Kakashi placed a hand on top of Sakura's trembling shoulders, "Calm down, Sakura. Naruto will be fine. Tsuki will be able to work this out." He reassured the medical ninja.

Sakura looked down at Naruto… he was breathing heavily, beads of sweat were forming on his forehead and his hands were shaking madly."I saw him, sensei… I saw how mad he was. It's good to know that he's already mastered using his tailed fox… but if not, he'd be out of control just like in the past. I'm afraid, Kakashi-sensei. I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to do anything again… that I wouldn't be able to heal him again. He just came back—I don't want him to leave."

"You know Naruto well, Sakura. He will be fine. He will go through this." Kakashi said.

Then they heard loud footsteps from outside the room. In a matter of seconds, they saw Tsuki barge into the room. She held on to the sliding door as she tried to catch her breath. Shikamaru appeared behind her afterwards.

Sakura and Kakashi looked relieved when they saw her.

"Tsuki-san! I'm glad you ca—" Sakura was about to talk to her but suddenly she saw the maiden swiftly walk towards Naruto without hearing them out.

Hinata can feel her heart shattering into pieces when she saw Naruto wounded. His clothes were stained by blood and he looked very pale. "W-What happened…? Naruto-san… Naruto-san…" her voice was shaking and extreme anxiousness could be clearly seen all over her face.

"Tsuki-san… please, help him. We were on patrol at the Forest f Thorns but a mysterious man came and attacked us. I-I was able to treat the wound and stop the bleeding but… there was poison spreading through his body—I don't know how to get it out." Sakura explained.

Hinata placed her hand on top of Naruto's forehead. She didn't reply to any of Sakura's rambles but she took note of the information. She closed her eyes to begin to examine his energy.

'_This is… the poison of nightmares_… _This is getting bad.'_

"Will you be able to treat him?" Shikamaru asked.

Hinata nodded. "I know what to do. But I may ask you to leave the room." She said.

"What? But we can't do that! I won't leave until I see him regain consciousness!" Sakura argued.

"Please, get out." Hinata repeated herself as she began unzipping Naruto's jacket. She then saw the wound from the rapier—it was black. And she could feel the source of the poison's power. It looked bad… an ordinary person would be dead by now with this kind of level of the poison. She was amazed that Naruto was just quietly unconscious.

"No! I will stay! I can't leave—"

"Leave, I say!" Hinata cut Sakura's protests. "I don't need your help. Please, I ask you to get out."

"Let's go, Sakura. She knows what to do." Kakashi said.

"But, Kakashi-sensei..."

"Let's go."

Kakashi commanded and Sakura followed, but she seemed reluctant. When the three were out and Hinata knew that it was safe to start, she began by activating a protective barrier to surround the area of the mansion. She always needed to activate the barrier so that no one could sense the priestess power. Tomoyo had always reminded her to do that.

Hinata touched Naruto's wound and then saw him flinch. It was a good sign that he was still alive and could still feel his body. That means he isn't trap yet to the depths of his nightmares.

"Naruto-san, hang in there. I will save you this time." she said and then a white glow appeared beneath her palms. She closed her eyes as she focused her powers to his body. "I can do this… I can save you… I can save you…" she whispered.

The glow from her hands got stronger as it kept on entering Naruto's body from the opening of the wound. The pain on Naruto's face seemed to be fading, but Hinata was having a very hard time eliminating the dark poison running through his body. It was not a type of poison made from plants, drugs or any material… it was a poison that contained magical phenomenon. It was made by a technique… and worse, it was made by a shaman. She could conclude that the one who attacked him was a shaman.

"Hang in there, please… stay with me."

She was struggling. Even if her magic was working, the power of the poison was still too strong. It was fighting her healing energy.

Hinata concentrated even more.

"I won't let you… I won't let you trap Naruto-san."

She gave everything she could, and she was finally feeling the poison getting weaker. She was having the high possibility of defeating it. If this continues, she would save Naruto's life in no time and get rid of the poison once and for all.

After a moment, her healing energy was able to extinguish all the dark energies riding through Naruto's veins.

She opened her eyes and saw Naruto sleeping placidly. No more hints of pain and suffering written on his face.

Hinata formed a gentle smile on her face. The glow beneath her hands slowly disappeared and she could feel her knees shaking. She lost her balance and fell forward, but luckily she was able to hold on to Naruto's bed for support. His face and her face were inches away from each other.

She immediately turned red. Their nose nearly touched, and one wrong move, their lips would collide. He looked very handsome…

_Tsuki, this isn't the time! Get a hold of yourself!_

Hinata carefully pulled herself away from him. But before she could completely get away, she felt her mind twirling. She could feel stings on her temples and the next thing she knew, she arrived at an unknown place.

She was in the middle of a calm forest. She could hear birds melodically chirping; it's a bird's sanctuary. It was tranquil… the most tranquil place that she had ever seen. Even though she knew that she was just seeing things, that doesn't mean that she couldn't have the chance to enjoy the peaceful scenery? She continued walking around and then all of a sudden, she heard a very loud explosion that caused the birds to fly away. There was a slight trembling from the explosion but it somewhat subsided after a while.

She immediately tried to locate the source of the explosion, and in a blink of an eye, she was able to find it easily.

"_**Naruto-kun!" **_

She heard a voice of a young girl.

_This… I could see Naruto-san's memories again…_

_**"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGH!"**_

She then heard a very loud scream from a certain young blond ninja. She saw him being electrified by a talisman on the ground. The scene looked horrible… it broke her heart.

_**"Why… why are you still alive?!"**_

The beautiful woman in a decent kimono yelled. Her eyes were furious. She was about to attack the young Naruto again, but all of a sudden, the young maiden came and stood right in front of the boy.

_**"Stop it! Please, stop it already… Naruto-kun is already in pain! It's me whom you're after, right? Here I am so stop hurting Naruto-kun!"**_

Hinata could finally see the girl's appearance. She had short dark blue hair, fair skin, and pale eyes. Was she just seeing things?

She gulped.

Did they really look that identical?

_**"I will not be afraid to sacrifice my own life for him." **_The girl said.

_**"Well, whether you sacrifice your life for him or not, I will still take your soul with me."**_

The young Naruto crawled with all his might.

_**"Hinata… no… run…" **_he said weakly.

Hinata's eyes widened.

_Hinata? That girl's name is… Hinata?_

The woman immediately took the young maiden and strangled her with one hand before the maiden could think of running away. The Head Shaman's eyes turned white as a violet aura flowed from her body towards Hinata's body. The seal on Hinata's forehead began glowing as she received an unusual energy from the shaman.

Hinata—Tsuki, could see the process. That woman was a shaman… and she's trying to absorb the maiden's soul. Anyone undergoing that could not survive.

_**"St… Stop it… Let go of her…"**_

Naruto said.

_**"Tomorrow night… your soul will be mine, my dear."**_ The unknown shaman chuckled. _**"I can hardly wait…"**_ she then released her grip around Hinata's neck and let her fall the ground as if she were a piece of junk. Afterwards, she summoned the mirror and entered there and disappeared.

**"**_**Hi…nata…"**_ he tried his best to reach her hand, but he failed.

_**"No… Hinata… I'm sorry…"**_

A tear then rolled down Naruto's cheek.

She looked at the young girl named Hinata… it was pointless. She will not be saved by anything. That shaman's magic was too powerful… her darkness was too terrifying. She closed her eyes slowly and then felt herself being transferred back to reality. When she opened her eyes, she was back to the present Naruto's room. He was there, lying on his bed, with tears flowing down his eyes.

"Hinata… I'm sorry…" she heard him whisper.

She could feel nothing but heart ache. She couldn't believe that Naruto had been through something like that—it was horrible. He and that girl were very young, yet, they suffered so much. She couldn't blame him for seeing her and that girl as one person… She could admit that she looked very much like her when she was the same age.

Hinata looked down at the blond ninja. She wiped the tears flowing down his closed eyes.

She could now understand why she could feel a very deep wound in his chest. She now knew… that the person Naruto loved most was killed right in front of his very eyes.

Unbeknownst Hinata and Naruto, pair of eyes was watching from outside the room. It was none other than Tomoyo…

She could see Hinata staying by Naruto's side and caring for him.

She closed her eyes and silently shut the door to leave the two alone and make her appearance remain unnoticed. She began walking away slowly, locked in her deepest thoughts.

'_Hinata-sama… after all these years… after everything that has happened… Fate still bound you to him.'_

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:**

oh, boy. I sure missed FF so much. :) And reading the reviews all over again made me tear up! Thank you very much for your support! I swear, after my talent test... I will work the hell out of my writer brain and update faster! Let's just hope that I pass the test. Because if I fail, I might undergo some depression and be too depressed to update. :(

Oh! By the way... my niece was finally born last Tuesday! Yipeeee! She's so cute and I always help her mom give her a bath. XD

And tomorrow, it's my mom's birthday! So, I'll get to eat another cake again. Kekekeke. Well, actually, I've been really fed with so much birthday spaghetti this month. In the first week of April, it was my brother-in-law's birthday. Last week, it was my brother's birthday(the father of my niece), and yesterday, it was my sister-in-law's birthday(The mother of my niece) and tomorrow, it will be my mom's birthday! Oh, geez... I'm going to get fat now. I haven't exercised properly for the last two months! :(

ANYWAY!

Please review! I would very much appreciate if you review or PM me. Hihihi. Stay awesome guys!

OH! Do you watch PewDiePie videos? I would like to say he's so AWESOME. He's been my source of entertainment since I started going to Workshop.

Bye! See you soon! (I'm in a really good mood today!)


	21. Chapter 21: Promises

**a/n:**

**Hey guys! Before you read this chap, I must say first that I edited the Domon and Naruto fight scene in Chapter 20. **** It's all thanks to Hektols-san who gave me the idea. Hihihihi. For those who haven't read it, please check it out and tell me what ya peeps think. **

I'm glad that I was still able to update. My laptop has been like… Meh. I'm using our old desktop now so… I didn't expect for it to be able to connect to the net.

And, I stopped reading Naruto Manga ever since Neji's… you know. The dreadful "D" word. My brother just spoiled to me that Sasuke had finally made his move! SPOILER ALERT. That he's going to fight for Konoha. Just like what happened in this fanfic! Oh, what are the odds? I believe it's stated in chapter 14 or 15. Is it just me or am I a psychic? Hehehe.

Inner Weird: *slaps weird* Oh. Shut up! Just get on with the chapter!

Weird: What was that for?! You just lost our BET! OHOHOHOHO.

Inner Weird: Che.

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN MY HEART. AND MY HEART LOVES NARUTO. BUT… MY HEART DOESN'T OWN IT.**

* * *

**Chapter 21: Promises**

Domon felt lucky. Mastering the teleporting technique was really convenient even if it requires much of his energy. He'd rather lose much of his energy to get the hell out of that place than to be beaten up by that jinchuuriki. He underestimated Uzumaki Naruto's skills. He never expected for that guy to be so strong. If his illusion of Hinata didn't work on the ninja, he wouldn't have escaped the jaws of death.

He slowly appeared right in front of the entrance of the main gate of the Shaman Temple in the Land of Moon. His feet landed heavily on the ground and he lost his balance as he clutched the burn on his chest. His cape was torn apart and the front of his black shaman clothes was burnt because of Naruto's Rasengan. He was in severe bad shape.

"Domon-sama!" a female shaman rushed to him, "HELP! Domon-sama is hurt! We must treat him!"

"T… Take me to my sister…" Domon said in a weak voice. "…this instance."

Two more female shamans came and helped to carry the Head Shaman's brother inside the temple. In less than a minute, they arrived in the Meditating room, where Masayo stayed the whole day doing her rituals.

"Masayo-sama… Domon-sama is..."

From her meditating position, she opened her eyes and looked at the servants carrying her brother. "Leave us." She commanded in a cold voice.

Domon was the one who pulled himself away from the female shamans, he sloppily walked towards his sister.

The servants bowed in respect and promptly left the meditating room.

When only Masayo and Domon were left in the room, Masayo stood from her mat and broke her meditation. She began walking towards her brother who can barely take any more steps nearer to her.

Domon knelt down on his one knee and bowed his head, "I… am back, my sister."

Masayo smiled calmly at him, "You look horrible, Brother Domon. If I hadn't thought of aborting your mission, you will probably fail on getting that scroll."

"I apologize… I—"

"And who the devil did this to you, Domon? It's surprising to see you looking like this." A man's voice came. He stepped out of the shadows and allowed for Domon to see his smirking face. He had shoulder-length dark purple hair, and sharp scarlet eyes. He wore dark violet robe with ancient writings on it and knee length boots.

Domon's eyes went wide. "Y-you are—!" then he felt a strong pang on his chest. It made him throw up more blood.

Masayo was about to bend down to help her brother, but the man with dark purple hair stopped her, "Oh no. We wouldn't want to see your beautiful kimono be stained by his blood." He stepped towards the wounded and a book was summoned right in front of him, its pages turned for him as it floated. "Since it has been a very long time we saw each other, I wouldn't mind lending you a help, Domon."

"Tetsuya…" Domon said in his gritted teeth.

Tetsuya chuckled, "Don't worry. I will heal you." He said and then his book began glowing, at the same time, a calm light surrounded Domon's body. The burn on his chest slowly began disappearing, and his flesh began regenerating. The pain was drifting away.

"So, who did this to you, my dear brother?" Masayo said in a caring tone.

"It was that Jinchuuriki… the Great Hero who put an end to the Fourth World Shinobi War." He replied, "I encountered him in the Forest of Thorns."

"And he got you bad?" Tetsuya raised a brow, mocking him as he continued his healing spell.

Domon glared daggers at him, he hated that man so much. Not only that he hated Tetsuya's strength, but he also hated his attitude. He couldn't believe that he nearly lost his life just because of acquiring that scroll in order to revive his lost soul.

"Sister Masayo… how were you able to revive him even without the scroll's help?" He asked.

"As I told you, Brother. We couldn't depend on the Scroll of Energy Detachment that much. It contained much power—but I think that it wouldn't work as accurately as I expect. Those priests were witty enough to make a condition that only the chosen one would be able to wield and create the scroll. And that is Maeko—but she is long dead. Useless." Masayo explained, "So I commanded our shamans to attack a village and steal virgins and children to offer their souls to Tetsuya's revival. Those useless are of course—killed."

"Intelligent as ever, Masayo." Tetsuya chuckled. "Oh, I must say, my love." He then wrapped an arm on Masayo's waist and pulled her closer to kiss her lips.

That was another thing why Domon hated Tetsuya. He was her husband.

* * *

4 days have passed…

Hinata walked demurely at the hallways of the palace. Her hair pleasantly swayed behind her back as the servants in the palace secretly adored her gracefulness. She was wearing a pink kimono with light green_ obi_—she looked very decent. To their eyes, she was beautiful even if part of her face was hidden by her bangs. This was natural beauty. Not like those rich ladies they know who cared nothing but improving their appearance. They only care about the outside… not the beauty that is invisible from the naked eye.

As Hinata kept on walking to the hallways and giving the servants she walked pass on her greetings, she was mentally praying that when she arrives in Naruto's room he was awake. It has been four days since he suffered from the dark poison. Since then, he hadn't regained consciousness. And for four consecutive days, she hardly left his side. She hoped that today would be a different day… she needed to see the energetic ninja who saved her life back in the forest.

"Tsuki-san, wait up!" Sakura suddenly approached her.

Hinata bowed at the kunoichi, "Good morning, Sakura-san. Is something wrong?"

"I would like to talk with you… is it all right?" Sakura asked.

Hinata smiled and nodded. They both made their way to a nearby balcony to be able to talk privately. She wondered why Sakura suddenly came to her—they haven't talked to each other since Naruto's incident. Now that she thought about, she somewhat yelled at her that time and made her leave. She better apologize for her mistake.

"Tsuki-san…" Sakura began before Hinata could even speak, "Thank you very much for saving Naruto's life." She bowed in express of her gratitude.

Hinata felt relieved. She was found herself a proof that Sakura didn't build up negative feelings towards.

"I'm very sorry for not talking with you these past few days. I was just… lost." Sakura said in a solemn voice, "You know… I was there when Naruto was stabbed by that rapier. But I couldn't do anything to heal him. I felt so… useless again."

"Sakura-san. Naruto-san is fine now, we just need to wait for him to wake up." Hinata said. "The poison is completely eliminated… I believe that he will wake up soon."

Sakura had a faint smile on her face. She leaned her elbows at the railings of the balcony and looked at the garden beneath them, "I really am grateful that you were there, Tsuki-san. If you weren't, we wouldn't know what to do—I wouldn't know what to do. Despite I am the student of the greatest medical ninja, I hate to admit that I do not know what to do to heal Naruto. I do not know what type of poison it was. I do not know its effects. I do not know what it would do to him. I was scared that he would die—and I was there, not being able to do anything." She sighed sadly and turned her hands into fists.

"It's really weird. I thought that I will be useful now because I trained really hard to get stronger and now that I'm a skilled medical ninja. But I still felt that same feeling when I was still young and weak. I felt like I was being useless again." She paused, "I already lost someone very important to me… I couldn't afford to lose Naruto also."

Hinata stared warmly at the girl, "Sakura-san cares for Naruto-san so much, don't you?"

Sakura nodded, "Yeah. Even if that guy is the most idiotic of all idiots, I care for him very much. He was always there to protect me. He was always there as my friend. Mostly, he was the reason why I wanted to be stronger… so that I can protect him, too. Naruto is important to everyone in the village, not only because he's the Great Hero… but because even before he got that title, he always protected us all."

Hinata didn't utter a word. She was glad to hear those words from Sakura. She was glad to know that many people care for Naruto… having to go through so much pain in seeing his beloved die in front of his very eyes, she was glad that Naruto had friends to support him through his trials.

"Naruto's really amazing… When we were young, we always despised him. No one respected him. No one wanted to be his friend. Everybody stayed away from him. But, all of those made him stronger. His dream of being a Hokage wasn't shattered. He wanted to become the Hokage so that everyone will respect him and that he will be able to protect the village. I always thought that he will never succeed in his goals because he was weak, dumb and a failure—what could an idiot do? But, now… He was the Hero that everyone looks up to. He saved our village from destruction and… he ended the Fourth World Shinobi War. Who could have thought that that Naruto would be able to do such a thing?"

"Anyone doesn't know what lies in his own future—or the future of the others. Even the weakest of the weak can be the strongest of the strong." Hinata said, "People change, people get stronger, people get braver because of what they go through. Those propensities apply to all of us."

Sakura smiled, "I can totally agree with that. He definitely faced a lot of hardships in his life…" her smile slowly melted, "But the hardest he had ever gone through… was to lose that person who was very dear to him."

Hinata looked at Sakura.

"I was there to see when he faced a lot of trials… but _that_ incident shook him most." Sakura said crestfallenly. She lifted her head and stared at Hinata's hidden eyes, "Did you know… that you resemble that person he loved most, Tsuki-san?"

Hinata tore her gaze away from Sakura's green eyes and looked down. She nodded solemnly. "Naruto-san mentioned that I resemble someone very important to him on that night when he saved me…"

"I see." Sakura said, "That person's name is Hinata… Naruto loved her so much even now."

"Maybe that's the reason why… he talks to me. I resemble her…" Hinata said softly. A slight sting stung her heart.

"It's not that, Tsuki-san. I am certain that Naruto really cares for you. I think it wasn't that way…" Sakura defended her friend.

Hinata smiled, "I can't blame Naruto-san… She really is important to him." She whispered, "Don't worry… by hearing your words… I know that Naruto-san is a very incredible person. Thank you so much for telling this to me."

Sakura had a concerned look on her face, "Are you sure you're all right?"

Hinata bowed, "I must go now, Sakura-san. I must see how Naruto-san is doing." She said. Without hearing what Sakura was about to say, she left the balcony.

Sakura just trailed the maiden with her green eyes. _Tsuki-san… _She was then left there, stuck with her thoughts.

She never knew Hinata that well… She only met her once, when Naruto saved her in the forest during the Invasion of Orochimaru. Hyuga Hinata probably didn't know her at all. But it was Naruto who told her that Tsuki resembles Hinata so much. Personality, voice, appearance… if Hinata were alive, she would definitely look like Tsuki when she grows up.

_Naruto met Hinata-san in the forest…_

Sakura frowned.

Naruto also met Tsuki in the forest and saved her.

_Could it be possible? _

_That Hinata-san is alive? And she is Tsuki-san?_

Tomoyo's hand got clammy as she entered Naruto's room. She walked as quietly as she could and observed the unconscious Hero. He was sleeping peacefully on his bed, wearing a night robe provided by the mansion. Just as what Hinata said, there was no more poison left in Naruto's body.

_Hinata-sama… Indeed, you amaze me. Even you are now able to cure that type of poison. Naruto-san's power is enormous as ever._

Tomoyo closed her eyes and focused her energy to her mind. With concentration, she was able to communicate with the most powerful _Biju, _Kurama.

_**Kurama-sama… It is I, Tomoyo. **__Tomoyo said. __**It has been five years.**_

She heard Kurama chuckled.

_**I didn't expect to see that maiden so soon. **__Kurama replied, __**Maeko was right. Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata are bound by destiny.**_

Tomoyo nodded. _**But it is so soon. Her memories won't be able to come back yet…**_

_**It must. **_Kurama growled firmly, _**The shamans are back. It seems that they are free of Obito and Madara's curse. The one who attacked Naruto four days ago was none other than that filthy Domon. I have an accurate hunch that they are starting to make their move. I believe that the one who sent those spies to steal the Scroll of Energy Detachment were Domon and Masayo.**_

_**Domon and Masayo are back… **_Tomoyo clenched her fists. She was right. The power she four days ago belonged to a very powerful shaman. How could she be so careless? It was good that Naruto was there to stop Domon's motives. But what if he wasn't there? What would happen to Hinata? _**Hinata-sama's memories would only come back if she becomes the fully-pledged Sacred Priestess. For that to happen, we must train at the Tower of Light in the Sacred Light Mountain… Indeed, Hinata-sama had become a skilled priestess, but I don't think that she could handle the Sacred Light Mountain. After all, she wasn't able to live in a community where Priests and Priestesses lived. There were no temples and spirits able to guide her well to develop her powers. **_

_**We must move now, Tomoyo. That child needs to be ready. We were able to surpass Madara and Obito's scheme… but I couldn't imagine light if the Shamans would win the war and destruction they plan against the world. This is why Madara didn't want to accept Masayo's help in the Fourth World Shinobi War. There would not be a future for all of us. Shamans will conquer the world… and darkness will prevail. Pure evil… will take over. **_Kurama explained, _**Naruto was able to end the war… but the Sacred Priestess is the only one capable of preventing the darkness take over the light. **_

Tomoyo understood Kurama's point. If Maeko were here, she would tell her that, too. _**But the child… she isn't ready. She still doesn't know who she really is. **_

_**But she wants answers now, right? That girl… she is definitely looking for answers. I suggest that you must take her to The Sacred Light Mountain to complete her training by next week. The moon's position would be convenient because its moonlight would be very focused in that mountain. It would definitely help Hinata wield her power better. The nights are longer there starting next week, it is best if you begin the training there by dusk. We must not waste anymore time… Masayo is getting ready for war.**_

_**But would she understand?**_

_**Tomoyo… the maiden was born for this. This was her purpose. It is only her who could save the whole world. I am counting on you. All we could do is hope for you to succeed on training her… So that all her memories would be returned.**_

Tomoyo opened her eyes and broke the telepathic communication with Kurama. She looked down at Naruto, who was beginning to twitch his eyebrows.

_Her memories would come back… if she becomes a Fully-pledged Sacred Priestess. _

She thought.

_She will remember everything… about her life. About her past. About __**you.**_

Naruto's finally opened his blue eyes. He saw a figure in front of him. His sight was still blurry from four days of sleep, but soon, he was able to adjust with the light. He saw a middle-aged woman with long black hair and shiny golden eyes.

"You're finally awake." Tomoyo said.

Naruto scrubbed his eyes, "Who are… you?"

Tomoyo smiled, "I'm glad you are awake. I am Tsuki's master, Tomoyo is my name." she introduced.

Naruto frowned and began surveying his surroundings. This was not the forest of thorns at all. It looked like his room in the mansion. He swiftly sat up, "Where the hell is that bastard!?" he shouted.

"Calm down, young man. It's over." Tomoyo said.

Naruto shot her a glare. And then he finally noticed that he was lying on his bed and was not wearing his ninja clothes. He then remembered what happened with his fight with that mysterious man. He immediately touched his chest, where he can clearly remember the stab he got from the rapier of the man. But it's all gone now. He couldn't feel the severe pain anymore.

"You were out cold for three days. It's a good thing you now regained consciousness." Tomoyo told him.

"I was out for three days?!" Naruto's eyes widened, "What about my teammates? Where are they? That man?!"

"Everything is fine. Your teammates are still here in the palace. That man you were talking about left and never came back." Tomoyo explained briefly.

"I see…" Naruto looked down his lap and clutched his blanket, "That's right… He got away." His blue eyes narrowed in rage as his shoulders shook madly.

_"You have not yet moved on, Uzumaki Naruto."_

Naruto gritted his teeth.

_"You may be a hero… but you failed protecting that girl."_

"Damn it!" Naruto could do nothing but curse as he heard the man's voice echoing in his head. "I failed her… I failed protecting her again." He whispered.

Tomoyo looked down sympathetically at him. She knew what he was saying… she knew whom he was talking about. Of course, his dear Hinata.

"Tsuki hardly left your side… she was the one who saved your life. She's really hoping to see you wake up soon… she will be crestfallen if she sees you like this."

Naruto's rage suddenly disappeared upon hearing Tomoyo's words, "Tsuki was the one who saved me?" his tensed shoulders calmed and his grip on his blanket loosened.

Tomoyo nodded. "She took care of you. Day and night, she guarded you."

Then both of them heard light footsteps from outside the room. The door creaked as it was opened and revealed the fair maiden.

"Master? What are you—?"

Hinata's sweet voice trailed off when she saw the person unconscious on the bed for three days now sat up and eyes wide open.

"Naruto-san…" she gasped.

"Tsuki…" Naruto said softly as his tensed features disappeared. He forgot all his rage towards Domon; he felt a rising warmth upon seeing the maiden. "Yo! I heard that you—"

Before Naruto could finish his words, Hinata all of a sudden rushed towards him and embraced him. Since Naruto wasn't prepared for her unexpected actions, he lost his balance and he fell back to his bed, with Hinata on top of him and hugging him.

"Thank God, you're awake… Naruto-san. Thank God…" She said in relief. The happiness in her voice can be easily distinguished.

Naruto was dumbfounded. This was definitely unexpected. His body was frozen on his spot as colors started rushing to his whiskered cheeks. His heart was beating rapidly.

"Thank God… I'm glad you're awake…" She whispered to him.

In a matter of seconds, Naruto began to calm down. A placid smile formed his lips, and gently returned the embrace to her. "It's all right now. You don't have to worry anymore."

Tomoyo smiled gently at the scene in front of her. Without saying a word, she turned around and walked across the room to leave.

_You never failed protecting Hinata-sama… Naruto-san._

_._

_._

_._

Naruto and Hinata were alone in the room, still cuddled with each other. There was no awkwardness between them… they felt relaxed feeling each other's touch. She felt so protected and safe with those strong arms wrapped around her. And he didn't want to let her go. She was soft, fragile and smelled like fragrant flowers. She gave him a soothing feeling.

Both of them didn't restrain from each other's touch and stayed like that for a little while.

That little while felt paradise.

Hinata felt so light. It seems that she was far from the cruelty of the village. It seems that she was far from her problems. She just wished that… she could always feel this way.

_Wait._

_Oh no… what am I doing?_

Hinata came back to her senses. Her face turned red as she swiftly slipped away from Naruto's grasp. She ungracefully took several steps back and nervously bowed, "I-I-I am very sorry."

Naruto sat up, his face was also flushed. He wasn't able to speak; he was flabbergasted.

"I m-must get your clothes… please w-wait a m-moment." She awfully stuttered and she hated it. She could still feel the heat on her cheeks as she shyly walked out of his room.

Naruto was left staring at the embarrassed maiden. When she was out, he threw his head back to his pillow and ruffled his head aggressively. He knew his face was so red, and how the hell would he get rid of this unmanly blush? His heart was pounding fast. He couldn't help it… he was caught off guard. He never imagined that the girl would suddenly hug him—but enough with reasons. Who was he kidding? Everyone could say that he definitely enjoyed it. She was pretty. She smelled nice. Her body was very light like feather.

And…

And her breasts… he felt how soft—

_Ugh what the hell?! _

He groaned and punched his face.

_Focus, man. FOCUS._

Kurama just chuckled with the ninja's dilemma.

_Oh, shut up, Kurama!_

In less than a minute, the maiden came back with his clothes on her arms. She hid her face, but he could still notice how pink her cheeks were.

"I… I washed your clothes for you… H-here." She said nervously and handed it to him.

"Uhh… yeah. Thanks." Naruto felt quite uneasy. His heart was still not beating normally. He took his clothes from her and began to take off his temporary wardrobe.

Hinata's face became redder than ever. She saw his broad shoulders—his hardbound chest—his six-pack abs… She muttered a tiny "eep" as she turned around to avoid seeing him. This was really weird… she didn't feel like this that time when she was healing him. She was even the one who took off his shirt to see his wound.

"Oh! Ah… sorry about that." Naruto felt dumb again. She was kind of attracted to her antics. She was so cute. He mentally kicked himself in the shin to stop thinking about things like that towards the girl. He wore his black shirt first, then the necklace Tsunade gave him, then he stood up to wear his pants, then his long-sleeved black and orange jacket, lastly his notable forehead protector.

He cleared his throat and tried his best to sound his normal self. "I'm finished changing! Thank you for washing my clothes, Tsuki." He said energetically.

Hinata's heart raced faster. "Y-you're welcome." She said and hesitantly turned to face him. She was really glad to see that Naruto was back on his feet again. "How are you feeling, Naruto-san?"

Naruto grinned from ear to ear at her, "Better than ever!" he exclaimed, "It's all thanks to you. That lady who just came here earlier told me that you were the one who saved my life and took care of me day and night. I owe you a lot."

She shook her head, "Please, do not mind it. I… I just wanted to repay you for saving my life back there, too."

"I guess we're even." He said casually. And then all of a sudden, they both heard a loud rumbling coming from his stomach. He blushed slightly and scratched the back of his head. "Hehehe… Sorry about that. This dude tells me to eat something now."

She giggled softly. She was not feeling that awkward towards him anymore. Somehow, she calmed down and was able to lessen the pinkness of her cheeks. "You haven't eaten for three days, Naruto-san. Follow me… we have prepared breakfast in the kitchen."

Naruto's eyes sparkled, "All right!"

.

.

.

"Ahh. That was very delicious! It's like I didn't eat for more than a week!" Naruto stated in satisfaction as he patted his newly full stomach. His voice can be clearly heard across the hallway. He just finished having his breakfast, and was now on his way to the Lord's room with Hinata for the meeting. Well, he only had six servings of rice, five bowls of crab soup, two huge lobsters, finished three bowls of salad, and drank all the left-over grape juice. He did eat like there was no tomorrow.

Hinata smiled at his carefree demeanor. "I'm glad you liked the food."

Naruto placed his arms behind his head, "Yup. But you know what I miss eating most?"

Hinata blinked, having no useful guesses in her mind.

"Ramen." He smirked. "The best ramen can only be found in our village! I can live my life forever eating that every day! That's how delicious it is."

The girl tilted her head, "Ramen?"

The Great Hero furrowed his eyebrows, "Don't tell me you don't know what Ramen is?"

Hinata shyly looked down the ground, "I have never heard of Ramen before…"

"You're missing half of your life, Tsuki!" Naruto stared at her in disbelief, "A person like you knows about Abra—abrin whatever poison and such, but doesn't know what Ramen is?"

"N-No one cooks something like that in our village. When I was young, the people ate here was nothing but porridge. If the seamen are fortunate, they give us some of their fish… but most of their products are consumed by those who are rich. By those who can only afford to buy meat and fresh vegetables." Hinata explained in a solemn voice, "I witnessed how they all suffered in famine… my family was still fortunate because we managed to live in the forest and grow our own crops there and there was someone who was looking after us." Her heart clenched upon remembering the person who took care of them in the forest… the one who always kept them safe. It was really sad that Itachi wasn't here anymore.

"As much as possible… we share our food with the townspeople." She added.

"Man, this village sucks." Naruto was dismayed, "You people have to deal with all of that? What kind of leader is your Lord then? He should be the one taking care and protecting his village and the villagers, right?"

Hinata agreed with that. "It seemed he never looked at us as people… those who belong to the first-class and even the Lord—treat us nothing but slaves."

"You know what… you better get out of this village." Naruto suggested. "Your family will be very welcomed in our village! Baa-chan—The Hokage is really nice. She would accept you."

"I can't do that, Naruto-san. I can't leave this village." Hinata said.

Naruto shot her a glance, "Why not? Don't you think it's best to get out of here?"

She shook her head, "If I leave… then there won't be any difference in this village. The people here will continue to suffer while I live a stable life away of this place. That won't make me feel any better at all…"

_Besides… Itachi-nii-san said that we are protected here. Protected from those people who are hunting us._

"I believe you'd say that." Naruto sighed in defeat, "Hey, what about this… what if I bring you to our village and treat you a Ramen? Does that sound good to you?" he said.

"You will… bring me to your village?" Hinata asked.

"Of course! Once we solve all your problems in this village, we are going to eat Ramen in the Konoha. Trust me. You won't regret it."

"W…We?"

"Hey, don't tell me you're planning to cause a revolution just on your own? Of course I'm going to help you!"

Hinata's hidden eyes widened, "You would do that… for me?"

Naruto gave her a thumbs-up. "Yup! And I'll make sure that I keep you safe."

Hinata felt her heart racing rapidly again. She gave him a refreshing smile, "_Arigatou_, Naruto-san."

Naruto felt his heart skip another beat. Her smile… she just looked so dazzling.

He then heard Kurama laughed.

_Just shut up! _He scolded his Biju.

"May I remind you two that this place is my father's mansion and not your typical park?" a middle-aged man suddenly approached them. He wore an expensive blue Hakama and he had the same features as Hiromitsu. "You. You are not from this village." He pointed at Naruto, "I believe that you are associated with those ninjas inside father's room."

At first sight, Naruto wanted to punch the man's face. That must be the Lord's son, but how come he didn't see him in his first stay in the mansion? But he kept his calm. "Yes. I am Uzumaki Naruto."

The Lord's son arched a brow, "Uzumaki Naruto? Oh, so you must be the Great Hero! I can hardly believe that I am talking with you face to face right at this moment. Now that I take a closer look, you do have those notable whiskers on your face. Definitely features that you got for being a monster."

_**Son of a bitch.**_

Kurama growled.

Just what the heck is wrong with this old man? Naruto could definitely take this man out in one blow. Or also give him whiskers to remodel that jerk face.

"But I am thankful that you were there to prevent that intruder to get to the village. But I'm kind of disappointed that you were bedridden for three and a half days after your fight."

Okay. That was strike three! He was having a very great day with Hinata, but now this idiot comes to ruin it all for him?

"And you, servant. Why are you just standing there and not bowing before me? Who do you think you are?" The man said rudely at Hinata. "Don't you know who I am? I am the Lord's son! The future leader of this nation! I am Hiraishi!"

Naruto gritted his teeth.

Hinata didn't feel affected by any of Hiraishi's uncontrolled self-indulgence, she just stood on her spot, and stared back straightly at him with her hidden eyes.

"Bow to me, servant!" Hiraishi commanded. "I am the future leader of this nation!"

"It is a mistake for all of us to serve people like you." Hinata said without a buckle.

Hiraishi's eyes glared at her in rampage. "What did you say?!" he raised his hand and aimed to slap the girl's face.

Hinata didn't flinch from her spot. Confident of herself and she knew that she would not end up being the one hurt. But before she could even have the chance to defend herself, somebody already did.

Naruto stood in front of her and caught Hiraishi's wrist, effectively stopping his cowardly action. "You do not lay a finger on this girl." He said in a serious tone, "The Future Lord of this rotten nation? Oh, I wonder if there's still going to be a future."

Hiraishi glared at him. "What's with that tone? You have nothing to do with this, Uzumaki-san."

"If you want to be the leader of this nation, you better start caring for your people first." Naruto said, "Seriously, who would ever want someone like you to lead them? Not even the slightest care I could see in your eyes. You can never be compared to those leaders I know." He threw the old man's hand back and Hiraishi glared daggers at him.

He took Hinata by the hand, "Let's go, Tsuki."

He and Hinata began walking away without looking back at the "Son". But they could still feel Hiraishi's sharp eyes glaring at them in hatred.

Naruto and Hinata arrived in the Lord's room and Kohaku greeted them. They both gave respect to the bedridden Lord and went to their respective places. Hinata went beside her master and Keigo who both stood near the Lord's bed, while Naruto went to his team who all stood at the center of the room.

Without wasting any more time, they began the discussion. It was the usual. They discussed about the scroll and were told the hundredth time to keep it safe no matter what. Nothing much happened with their meeting since the Scroll was already in Kakashi's hands the day after Naruto suffered from the attack. The interesting turn of events was only that Lord Hiromitsu offered them a huge amount of Ryo to pay them back for all their service. Especially, Naruto and Sakura's great contribution by protecting the whole village from that mysterious man.

"Please, do accept my payment for all your hard work." Hiromitsu said.

Naruto took a step forward.

"I'm sorry, Lord. But I am afraid that we cannot accept your offerings." He said.

All their heads turned to Naruto's direction. Sakura had a frown on her face. Shikamaru had his usual uninterested look. Kakashi was just neutral.

"No need to worry. I am willing to give these to all of you." Hiromitsu said.

"Our special mission is to acquire the Scroll of Energy Detachment. We need nothing else than that. Since you are willing to offer such a huge amount of Ryo to repay our services to your mansion, why don't you just give those to the villagers? They need it more than we do. I think it's best to think of your own people first than us." Naruto said.

"Naruto-san…" Hinata said softly. He looked towards her and smirked triumphantly.

The Lord's attendee's eyes narrowed his eyes, _How dare he speak to the Lord that way?_

Unlike the Lord's son, he didn't lose his composure. "How thoughtful of you, Uzumaki-san. If that is what you wish, then it shall be granted."

Naruto stared directly at Hiromitsu's eyes, making sure that he means his words.

"Since you rejected my offer, all I could think of to repay you is to give you enough supplies to your trip back to your village." Hiromitsu said, "Kakashi-san, when do you plan leaving now that Uzumaki-san had regained consciousness?"

"We plan to leave this afternoon, Milord." Kakashi said.

"I see." Hiromitsu then called for Kohaku, "Kohaku, tell the servants to prepare enough food and water for these four ninjas for their journey back to their home."

Kohaku bowed, "Certainly, Milord." He then excused himself and walked out of the room.

Naruto shot a glance towards Kakashi, his eyes narrowed. "We're leaving already?!"

* * *

Back in Konoha…

Shinra was in the Silent Hill of Konoha, where Hinata's grave was located. She knelt down in front of her tomb and arranged the newly placed flowers and candles.

"Hiashi-sama already came…" Neji said softly behind Shinra as he looked down the grave. "He always comes here to offer flowers to Hinata-sama. He never leaves her grave without flowers."

Shinra had a somber expression on her face, "How is Hiashi-sama doing? After Hinata-sama and… Haruka-sama's death?"

"Hiashi-sama can hardly move on. He was trying his best to remain strong for the whole clan… but we could all see how he suffered from the happenings. We all witnessed how Haruka-sama grew weaker and weaker day by day after Hinata-sama's death… it only took months and Haruka-sama couldn't take it anymore. One day when Hiashi-sama saw Haruka-sama at the garden… she was already…" Neji's voice grew softer, "We didn't think he could handle all the events. Who kept him strong was Hanabi-sama. He swore that he will never let Hanabi-sama go through the same fate as Hinata-sama and Haruka-sama. The future of the clan depends on the heiress… Hiashi-sama could not afford to lose this battle."

Shinra felt a clench in her chest. The noble and prosperous Hyuga clan was suffering in a point that no one had imagined.

"Shinra-san… please, you have to cure Hanabi-sama at all costs." Neji told her. "She is the hope and the future of our clan."

Shinra nodded, "I will do everything I can to save her. Even if it costs my own life." She said determinedly.

* * *

Afternoon, Ibara Gakure.

_This sucks._

Naruto sighed in depression and exasperation as he closed the zipper of his backpack. He was done packing up his things, and his bag could explode because of the food supplies that the palace provided them for their journey. In one look on his face, it can be clearly seen that he was reluctant of leaving this afternoon.

_It's just so soon._

He said mentally. It's not that he didn't want to go back to the village yet—he's really glad that they succeeded on acquiring the precious scroll of the Ibara Gakure—but… he still wanted to see _Tsuki _longer. They've been starting to know each other better, it really sucks that they have to part ways now.

Shikamaru was also done with his packing. He nudged his bag on his shoulders and arched a brow at the troublesome village hero, "Let me guess. You don't want to leave yet because of Tsuki."

Naruto flinched from his spot. He looked embarrassed. "Wh-what?!"

Shikamaru glared blankly at him. _Just try to deny it_.

Naruto sighed in defeat. He knew he couldn't win against the observation of a person with an IQ of 200.

"Yeah, all right. I want to stay here longer because of her." He admitted. "I just got to know her better and all of a sudden we're leaving this afternoon. Why couldn't it be tomorrow?"

"Man, you really are troublesome. When we got here, you wanted to get the scroll and go back to the village as soon as possible. Now, you don't want to leave?" Shikamaru stated.

"I—I can't help it if that's what I really feel." Naruto defended his pride.

Shikamaru sighed, "Well. You can always come back here, right? After all we helped them capture those spies, guarded this palace, and you and Sakura drove that mysterious man away. Let's just hope our help wouldn't be forgotten easily."

Naruto wore his backpack, "Yeah. I'm kinda worried about this village, too." He said. _I hope she doesn't do anything while I'm gone_.

"Naruto! Shikamaru! Let's go!" Sakura and Kakashi suddenly arrived.

"Yeah!" Naruto answered and he went to join the two with Shikamaru.

…

…

…

Hinata sighed in relief. She was glad that she was done making the special onigiri for Naruto—Naruto's team. It can be clearly seen that she's really depressed because he's leaving already. She thought that the team would stay longer but… she didn't expect them to leave so soon. She placed the four bento boxes on top of each other and formed a rectangular tower, afterwards she wrapped them all in a cloth and tied a ribbon on the very top to keep the bentos secured.

"_Ara… _Are those for the ninja team?" a lady servant asked.

"Yes…" Hinata answered softly.

"They're already leaving. You must go to them now or you will not make it." The lady said.

Hinata panicked, "They're leaving right now? Oh no." she took the bento from the table and rushed out of the kitchen. _I hope I'll make it…_

_._

_._

_._

"Thank you very much for your help, Kakashi-san, Naruto-san, Shikamaru-san and Sakura-san. I hope to see you all soon when I pay a visit to Konoha once again. Take care of yourselves." Keigo said.

The four ninjas smiled. They were now at the shore of the Lord's island, a boat awaiting them to deliver them to the shore of the forest of thorns.

"Be careful on your way back too, Keigo-san. We will be expecting your visit." Kakashi said.

"How long are you going to stay here anyway, old man?" Naruto asked.

"I'll probably stay for two weeks. I need to make sure that the Lord is in good shape before I take my leave." Keigo said. "Now carry on. It will rain again soon. We wouldn't want you to be drenched once you're all out of this village's borders."

"All right then. Bye, Keigo-ji-chan! Take care of your health!" Naruto grinned.

Sakura, Shikamaru and Kakashi bowed at him before turning to the boat.

Naruto was then uncertain and was reluctant to go down to the boat. He was looking around… hoping to see her before leaving.

Sakura first hopped down.

Naruto looked to the right, and she wasn't there.

Shikamaru hopped down next.

Naruto looked to the left, she wasn't there also.

Kakashi then followed.

Naruto looked behind, and no signs of Tsuki at all.

He sighed.

"Come on, Naruto! What are you waiting for?" Sakura said impatiently.

_I guess I won't be able to see her. _He said in his mind.

Naruto was about to step down into the boat in regret… but all of a sudden, all of them heard an unexpected loudness of voice.

"NARUTO-SAN!"

All the regret and uncertainties disappeared when he heard her voice. A smile formed on his lips as he turned away from the boat. From afar, he could see a maiden in pink kimono running towards their direction like there was no tomorrow.

"She came…" he muttered in relief. He removed his bag and threw it towards Shikamaru(who frowned because of the unexpected throwing of luggage), and he ran towards the maiden.

He met her halfway far from his teammates and Keigo, and when he got to her, she was gasping for dear air. He could see how flushed her face was from all that running.

"I… I'm glad I made it…" Hinata said between her gasps.

Naruto smirked, "I thought you were not going to show up. Just what took you so long?"

When Hinata was able to catch up with her breath, she straightened herself and extended her hands holding the bag of bento. "I made these for Naruto-san's team. They're onigiri…"

"That's why you were late." Naruto chuckled and took the bento from her delicate hands, "Thanks for this."

Hinata looked down and blush even more.

The wind blew towards them as silence built up. Hinata's eyes were glued on the ground, while Naruto's eyes were focused on the maiden's partially hidden face. The gentle smile on his lips never intended to leave as long as she was right in front of him.

"Thank you very much for everything, Naruto-san… I pray you a safe trip with your allies." She said softly.

"You don't have to worry about us. When I see that man again who attacked me and Sakura-chan, I'll make sure that he definitely gets it!" Naruto exclaimed.

Hinata smiled at his courageous antics.

"And…" he placed a hand on top of her frail shoulder, "I promise that I will return here for you." He made her look up to him—now that he noticed, she was just by the level of his nose. "Don't do anything reckless on your own, all right?"

_**Keh. Look who's talking.**_

Kurama scoffed.

Naruto just ignored his partner's comment and focused on the girl.

Hinata nodded, "I will wait for your return, Naruto-san."

"HEY! NARUTO! Make sure your hands are in its proper place!" Sakura yelled from the boat.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched, "Geez! I am not that kind of guy!" he yelled back to Sakura.

Hinata couldn't help but giggle bashfully.

"Pay no attention to that." Naruto said, "Umm… so, thanks again for this." He pointed out the bento.

"_Dou itashimashite_." Hinata replied.

"I guess I better get going now. Keigo-ji-chan said that it would rain soon and we wouldn't want to be traveling with bad weather." Naruto said, "Keep yourself safe, okay? I will return as soon as I can."

"I understand, Naruto-san. Farewell… and see you again."

Naruto took a better look at her smile and then turned around to go back to his companions. After five steps, he faced Hinata back, "Next time, I want you to just call me "Naruto". Naruto-san is too formal." He grinned.

Hinata received butterflies in her stomach upon seeing his boyish grin, she didn't know what to do or what to say. But all of a sudden, she involuntarily smiled back at him and told him, "Then… is 'Naruto-kun' all right?"

The bento nearly slipped out of Naruto's grasp. His eyes widened… he looked directly at Tsuki—then all of a sudden, he could see the young Hinata in her. She was smiling back at him, wearing her favorite yellow kimono. He immediately snapped out of it, reminding himself that Tsuki and Hinata were not the same people.

"Yeah… Naruto-kun… I kind of like that. I haven't been called that after such a long time." He said. "Bye!" he then ran back to his teammates, and prepared their voyage.

Hinata brought her hands to her lips, she didn't know why those words suddenly came out of her mouth. She didn't mean that… it all just came out. She had seen Naruto's memory of the young Hinata and the young him having conversation regarding names.

She curled her hands on her chest and closed her eyes.

_I hope to see you soon, Naruto-kun…_

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:**

Awwww. They're separated again. Well, I had to do that to trigger some events. I know you can all guess who Hinata will meet next. I just have to do that, all right?

Please, review! I need to see your reviews to calm me down! After all, the result of my Talent Test would be release tomorrow. I'm really nervous!

Thanks for reading!

See ya peeps!

**VOCABULARY**

**Arigatou- thank you**

**Ara- oh**

**Dou itashimashite- you're welcome**


	22. Chapter 22: Meeting the Traitor

**a/n:**

****Yayyyyyyy! **  
**I'm finally able to update! :) It's a long story. *sigh* There were tears shed and... yeah. I suffered so much.

Anyways! Here comes the next chapter! :)

**Enjoy! **

* * *

**Chapter 22: Meeting the Traitor**

Naruto sighed for the hundredth time as he was leaning on the railings of the ship they were riding. "Why's Konoha so far? Are we there yet?"

Sakura, who was seated on a bench and enjoying the view of the sea, shot Naruto a glare, "You know we just got here half an hour ago. We're not near any borders of Konoha!" she scolded.

"Why is this ship so slow?!" The blond complained and faced her, "The sooner we get to the village; the sooner we can cure Hanabi-chan! And the sooner I can—" his voice disappeared there as he tried to control his words. He scoffed and just turned away to looked at the sea beneath the ship.

_The sooner I can go back to Tsuki. _He was supposed to say.

Sakura was no psychic. But in one look, she could tell what Naruto was thinking. Of course, she knew that he wants to go back to the village fast to cure Hanabi…. And she knew that as soon as they were done curing the Hyuga heiress, he can go back to Tsuki in the Hidden Village of Thorns. He was so easy to read at times. But sometimes, Sakura could not gain access of what Naruto's thinking.

"By the way, Sakura-chan…" He said.

"_Nani_?" she replied casually, hoping that it's not one of his complaints again.

"I was three and a half days out cold, right? I was just wondering… what happened to those spies Shikamaru and I caught?" he asked.

Sakura looked down her lap, she hesitated to speak first, but it was Naruto who was asking. "They… they're dead."

Naruto's eyes widened, "They're… dead?" he echoed. "Did the Lord execute them?"

Sakura shook her head, "During our patrol in the Forest of Thorns… Kakashi-sensei told me that they were killed. I'm not sure of what exactly happened, but when I came to the dungeon to look at their bodies… they all turned to skeletons even though it was only a short time after their death. It's like they were cursed."

"I saw a man in a spy's memory when I was interrogating him." Kakashi suddenly approached them with Shikamaru, "Those three spies were sent to steal the scroll by the order of one man. They were promised that when their mission is a success the man would save their poor village. But they were cursed that if they speak about that man—they will be trapped in a nightmare and will die in the darkest way."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "Could it be that the man who sent them was the one Sakura-chan and I fought in the forest?"

"There is a huge possibility for that." Kakashi said.

"Those spies refused to say anything to us during the interrogation. But with Kakashi-sensei's sharingan, we found out their background. Even if they didn't speak and tell anything about the man at all, they were killed because somebody else was able to find out their motives." Shikamaru said, "The curse they have is like what Sai got from Danzou… but it was darker than that."

"Keigo-san said that those kinds of powers were possessed by none other than the shamans." Kakashi explained.

"Shamans…" Naruto clenched his fists tightly as he remembered Masayo's face. "Then that man is definitely associated to that woman…" he whispered.

_Masayo smirked evilly at her as she brought her hand down. "You have guts to shout at me, young heiress. But, I admire your courage… Even if you know that you won't stand a chance against me, you chose to stand up for this ninja."_

"_I will not be afraid to sacrifice my own life for him." Hinata said bravely._

_Masayo raised a brow. "Well, whether you sacrifice your life for him or not, I will still take your soul with me." _

"_Hinata… no… run…" Naruto said weakly._

That memory was still very clear to him. He could never forget that shaman who ruined everything for them. All this time, he wanted to hunt that witch down and avenge Hinata's death but with Hanabi's life on the line, he couldn't afford to do anything rash that could endanger the young heiress more. That made him resent the shaman more. After Hinata, Hanabi's life was on the line. That made him want to kill Masayo more.

Naruto, locked in his thoughts again, walked away from his teammates and went to the other side of the deck.

Sakura looked at him concernedly, "Naruto? What's wrong?" she was about to follow him but Kakashi stopped her. She shot the jounin a perplexed look, "Sensei?"

"Better leave him alone with his thoughts." Kakashi said, "Naruto has an awful encounter with a shaman before."

Sakura blinked her eyes and just watched Naruto walk away, "I see… I understand now." She muttered, "That's why he was so angry with that mysterious man…"

* * *

After two days of traveling, Naruto's team finally made it back to Konoha. When they could see the main gate of the village from where they are, Naruto's face lightened up and became all pumped after being so gloomy since the mention of the "shaman" two days ago.

"Yes! YES! I CAN SEE IT! FINALLY!"

Naruto exclaimed excitedly as he threw his fists to the air.

Shikamaru sighed, his hands placed in his pockets. _I really can't believe this guy. After two days of being so quiet in the journey, he shouts as if nothing happened at all._

Naruto quickly ran towards the village. When he was yards away from entering the main gate, he leapt from his spot and hugged the land. "I'm back! I'm baaaaaaaack!" he said as he rolled like a puppy on the ground of the village.

Kotetsu and Izumo gave him a blank look.

"N-Naruto?" Kotetsu sweat-dropped. "Welcome back!"

"Still as lively as always, huh?" Izumo chuckled.

Naruto didn't reply. He didn't pay attention to them at all or in other words he didn't hear them at all. He stood from the ground and waved at his companions, "Hey, guys! Hurry up! The Great Hero of the Village cannot wait no longer!" he shouted.

"If I wasn't so concerned of him right now, I would definitely punch his face." Sakura said. Then all of a sudden, she noticed that Kakashi and Shikamaru somewhat changed their walking speed. Kakashi, who was behind them earlier, was now right in front of them, yards far away. Shikamaru, who was right beside her, was also in front of her, being nearly in the same distance as Kakashi.

Sakura gets why.

She sighed, "They're not leaving the village, sheesh!"

Kakashi and Shikamaru somewhat flinched, but chose to ignore Sakura's comment.

"Ino is not allowed to go on field missions since Tsunade-sama assigned her to have full time job at the laboratory." She told Shikamaru, and Shikamaru gulped uneasily.

"And Miki-nee-san is a _stubborn library girl_ that is so obsessed with her library!" Sakura turned to her sensei, who also gulped in nervousness.

She couldn't believe it. Now that she noticed it, she was the only one who was "loveless" in their team. Ino was waiting for Shikamaru—Miki was waiting for Kakashi—Naruto was waiting for his feet to drag him to the village soon so he could go back to Tsuki in the Village of thorns. While her…

Sai's face suddenly flashed in her mind.

Sakura nearly tripped. She inwardly groaned, "Where the heck did that come from!?"

.

.

.

10.05am Hokage Mansion.

Naruto kicked open the Hokage's door and lively shouted, "Baa-chan! We're back!"

Tsunade, who was in the middle of her tea break, suddenly coughed and spilled her tea on her desk. Good thing all the paper works were always properly arranged by Shizune, away from the Hokage whenever she was having a break.

"Idiot! I told you to give respect to the Hokage!" Sakura shouted in rage at him.

Shizune began wiping off the spilled tea on the Hokage's desk. She was used to this scenario. She actually missed it because Naruto was away from the village for one year after the war.

"I'm gonna get you for that later, brat." Tsunade glared daggers at the "HERO". "Report."

The team readied themselves for the report. Since Kakashi was the captain of the team, he did all the reporting for them. He didn't buckle with his words, and didn't miss any important information that the Hokage ought to be knowledgeable of. When he was done reporting, he placed the Scroll on the Godaime's desk.

"So this is just the replica of the original." Tsunade said and untied the ribbon securing the scroll. She opened it and her eyes were welcomed oddly written characters and figures. Her eyes narrowed, "These are ancient characters. Shizune, summon Ino and the Shinra this instance."

"At once, Hokage-sama." Shizune said and puffed into smoke to do her task.

Naruto's ears moved, "Who did baa-chan call? Ino?" he teased Shikamaru, who just rolled his eyes.

"You didn't hear me wrong Naruto. I'm calling for Ino and _Shinra_." Tsunade repeated, testing Naruto's memory of the priestess. She knew that he'd never forget that woman.

Naruto's eyes blinked several times, "Did you just say Shinra?"

"Oh, yes I did." Tsunade said.

"Where is she?! I need to see her!" Naruto leapt in joy. He was waiting for this moment. He wanted to thank her for everything she did to help him and the village during the war. He couldn't believe that the person he was planning to look for was staying in this village. How lucky he was.

After a minute of waiting, Shizune came back with the two people that the Hokage demanded to see.

Ino and Shinra bowed, not completely noticing who the other people were in the Hokage's room. But they couldn't forget a certain ninja's voice.

"SHINRA-NEE-SAAAAAAAN!"

Shinra immediately shot her head up and saw the ever lively Naruto running towards her with open arms. Before she could even react, Naruto already gave her a brotherly glomp.

"I thought I'd never see you again! I'm glad you're here!" He hugged her tighter like a little kid missing his mother.

"N-Naruto-dono!" Shinra blinked her eyes in surprise. "You're… back."

Naruto decided to let her go. He grinned at her from ear to ear, "Yup! And of course, it's a mission accomplish!" he declared boastfully.

"You mean you have the scroll?" Shinra stared at him in awe.

Naruto placed his hands on his waist, "Of course!" he then guffawed triumphantly. "By the way, what are you doing here? And how do you know about the scroll? Oh, have you seen Hanabi already?"

Tsunade cleared her throat and started with the main purpose of this meeting, "This is the reason why I summoned you and Ino here, Shinra. Kakashi's team successfully obtained the—"

"Have you tasted the Ramen here? I'll treat you today, Shinra-nee-san! We have so much to talk about!" Naruto continued.

"As I was saying," Tsunade paused, "They obtained the scroll from the Village of Thorns but this was just the replica of the original so—"

"You have so much to see in the village! Everything has improved! It's like the war didn't happen at all." Naruto carried on as if the others were not present in the room.

Shinra was trying her best to listen to the Hokage's words, but Naruto was getting in her way and she couldn't completely comprehend what Tsunade was explaining.

"Ino, Shinra, I want both of you to work and—"

"And where have you been all this time? You can always live here in Konoha. Plus, why did you only pay a visit now?"

Tsunade stood up from her chair and slammed her hands on her desk, "Neji found her in a village during his mission and invited her to come in Konoha to help us with Hanabi. Now, get out of my office because I have to settle this important discussion with Ino and Shinra!"

Naruto covered his ears, "Geez. Why you so mad, baa-chan? What the hell did I do?"

Tsunade's brows twitched. She was ready to punch the Great Village Hero anytime.

Sakura pulled him by the collar, "Just get out of the way!"

When Naruto was out of the way, Tsunade showed the scroll to Ino and Shinra. At once, the two analyzed it.

"This is it." Shinra said, boring her eyes to the incredible scroll. "I didn't know that this was still preserved by the Ibara Gakure."

"But it is only the replica of the original. Those that are written in that scroll do not contain any powers—it is explained to me by Kakashi that only a chosen wielder would be able to produce another Scroll of Energy Detachment." Tsunade said.

Shinra nodded, "I understand. But I am not certain if I was chosen to be its wielder." She said, "I know a priestess capable of making another scroll—Maeko-sama—but she passed away five years ago. I have no idea whom the scroll picked after Maeko-sama's death."

"But there is a possibility that it is Shinra-san, right?" Ino asked.

Shinra remained quiet for a moment, unsure of what she will say. All their eyes were focused on her hoping that she'd be able to give a positive response for Ino's question. She looked down at the scroll and read the ancient characters with her eyes. She could understand the writings on it. Maeko persisted in teaching her how to read, write and understand ancient letters like these. Not all monks and priestesses are given a chance to study about it.

She tore her gaze away from the scroll and saw Tsunade staring at her with her ever keen eyes."I might be able to produce this scroll. Maeko-sama used to be my master, she was able to teach me these ancient symbols. Please, give me two days and two nights to work."

Ino smiled, "I can help you anytime you want, Shinra-san."

"Me too." Sakura added, Naruto still pulled by her hand.

"All right." Tsunade said, "You may use the hidden chamber by the library to make the scroll. Everything needed in creating a very special scroll is in there. Do not hesitate to speak to me if there are more materials needed to complete the scroll; I shall immediately assign the ANBU to look for it."

"_Hai_, Hokage-sama." Shinra said.

"I am also assigning the ANBU to guard you, Shinra. That scroll is very much treasured by the Ibara Gakure. We better not let our guards down and keep it safe like how the Village of Thorns did so." Tsunade said.

"I volunteer! I will guard Shinra-nee-san and the scroll well." Naruto interrupted.

"That is the ANBU's duty, Naruto. Your mission is to only obtain the scroll—I won't be assigning you to any missions for now." Tsunade replied.

"Keh! Even if you tell me that, that still won't stop me from protecting Shinra-nee-san and the scroll." Naruto scoffed.

Shikamaru sighed, "Just how rude can you get?"

Tsunade knew that she wouldn't win this conversation. After all, Naruto always wanted to see Shinra. She couldn't do anything about it. Besides, she knew that Naruto will perform this task pretty well. "I get it. Do what you like. Just don't cause trouble during the creation of the scroll."

"Yosha!" Naruto got away from Sakura's grasp and went to Shinra, "You don't have to worry, Shinra-nee-san. I, Uzumaki Naruto-sama, will definitely keep you and the scroll safe!" he declared.

Shinra smiled, "Thank you, Naruto-dono."

"You are dismissed—"

Before Tsunade could even finish her statement, Kakashi already puffed into thick smoke and disappeared from everyone's sight. They _all _knew _why. _He just couldn't wait to get to the library so he just went off on his own without waiting for Naruto and Shinra.

"Sakura, Ino. Both of you will stay. We have to discuss the development of Hanabi's health since Shinra came."

"_Hai." _The two kunoichi replied to their master. The rest who were unneeded went out of the Kage room, doing their new tasks.

Naruto elbowed Shikamaru on the ribs and smirked teasingly at him again, "Too bad you won't be able to spend time with her for now." He whispered.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes anew, "Shut up."

* * *

Naruto and Shinra were on their way to the secret chamber in the library where Tsunade assigned the Priestess to conduct the creation of the scroll. The blond-haired ninja was grinning from ear to ear as he walked side by side with the woman whom he owed his life to.

Shinra was surveying her surroundings and could see that the ANBU had started doing their jobs on guarding her. Some were on the roof, behind the posts, and some other hidden places, making sure that she's well-protected in every angle. Then here's this Great Hero of the Village, Uzumaki Naruto. She was certain that no harm would come.

"You know what, nee-chan. I was really looking forward in seeing you again." Naruto widened his grin, if that was still possible. He went in front of her, and was walking backwards since he was facing her. He placed his arms behind his head, "And then you're already here! I really need to thank Neji for bringing you back to Konoha. Hehehe!"

Shinra smiled, _Lively as always_. "I'm looking forward in seeing you again, too. Naruto-dono."

Naruto chuckled, "I can finally have the chance to thank you for saving my life back then. Not only my life, but everyone's life! If you weren't there making those shields and barriers for all of us, we'd be killed by the Juubi!" he said, "And when Neji was stabbed by that sharp spear… we were really glad that you were there to heal him."

Shinra's face softened, "I was just trying to be helpful to everyone as much as possible. That's all I could do…" she closed her eyes and tried to suppress the hurt. _For Itachi and Hinata-sama…_

Naruto walked back to her side and looked up the clear blue sky. Indeed, it was very different compared to the Lightning Country. "Nee-chan… did you know? I saw her during the war…"

The priestess shot him a look.

"That time when I was losing hope in defeating Obito… she appeared and pulled my hand up. She gave me strength and smiled at me."

"Naruto-dono…"

"And your healing energy… it was the same as Hinata's. You know, it's as if Hinata was there and watching over us during the war."

Shinra didn't expect this. She knew that it was hard for Naruto to move on after her death, but she cannot believe that his love for her didn't grow any less. Instead, she can feel that it got stronger after all these years.

"I see… Naruto-dono's love for Hinata-sama never depleted." She said softly. That's not a problem if ever they see each other again and when Hinata gets her memories back. Now that she thought about it, Naruto just got back from his mission in the Hidden Village of Thorns. Was it possible that he was able to…

"I even saw a maiden in the Hidden Village of Thorns that looked so much like Hinata."

Shinra's aqua eyes widened, her heart began accelerating.

"At first… I really thought that she was Hinata. But I suddenly remembered that Hinata is already…" he paused, "But the way that girl talked, smiled, moved… it was really the same as Hinata's."

Shinra's hands began trembling and sweating.

"She was really kind and intelligent. She was brave… and sincere. I can't believe that I'd still feel this way towards another girl. At first, the reason why I wanted to get to know her better is because she looked so much like Hinata. But later on, Sakura-chan made me realize that I was wrong. Then after that… I began to feel more concerned of her. Even if I only met her once and we barely knew each other, I certainly want to help Tsuki."

"Tsu… ki?"

"Yup. That's her name. I met her in the Lord's palace there. Also Tomoyo-baa-chan, Tsuki's master." Naruto said casually. "You know, I really want to go back there as soon as possible so I could see her again. After curing Hanabi-chan, I'm going back to Ibara Gakure to see her once more."

Shinra fell silent. Naruto kept on talking about the maiden he met in Ibara Gakure, but she wasn't listening to him anymore. She was lost in her own thoughts… She was thinking of how Naruto met Hinata. Based from his reactions upon seeing her again, he still doesn't know that Tsuki and Hinata is the same person. He also mentioned that he met Tomoyo, too. Tomoyo also knows that the Village Hero met Hinata again after several years. What about Kurama? Did he tell anything to Naruto? Well, if he told the truth, Naruto wouldn't stay like this. Knowing his type of character, he would do anything to retrieve Hinata. Indeed, so many unexpected things happened when she was away.

_Destiny had started to make its move again. _She thought.

What could this mean? Why were things started to move on their own? All of a sudden, Naruto met Hinata. Something led him there to find her once more. Why? She knew that Hinata would only regain her memories once she becomes a fully-pledged Sacred Priestess. The maiden hasn't started her full training yet. What would be Tomoyo's next move now that Naruto found her? When would they tell him? They can't hide it from him any longer…

Shinra bit her lower lip. She always did when she was confused and worried.

As soon as she was done treating Hanabi, she had to go back to Ibara Gakure to have a serious discussion with Rika and Tomoyo.

She knew… something else was coming.

* * *

Tomoyo picked up her robe and flung it around her body. She was wearing a white kimono with red obi, and her hair was tied in a tight low bun, concealing her long wavy hair. She wore a straw hat on her head to partly cover her face, and wore her traveling sandals for her feet. Rika had the same traveling attire, though they differ with the color of their kimono. Rika wore an orange kimono with yellow obi. They were ready to set off to a journey.

Rika checked her pouch, making sure that everything they needed was there and that they didn't forget anything important. Tomoyo was doing the same.

As soon as Tomoyo and Hinata came back from the palace yesterday, Tomoyo didn't waste time on informing Rika of the unexpected events that had happened to Hinata. About meeting Uzumaki Naruto, about Naruto's fight with Domon several days ago, and about what Kurama said regarding the Shamans' moves. They planned on leaving to gather the items they need for Hinata's training so they could begin soon. It would take two to three days of journey to completely gather everything they need, and after that, they'll come back to Hinata to start their journey to the Tower of Light in the Sacred Mountain.

"We'll be leaving then, Tsuki. I entrust the clinic to you and Shinichi while we're gone. It would only be for three days." Tomoyo said. She and Rika didn't tell the truth about this journey to Hinata. All they told her was they were going to get medical supplies from the other villages. The maiden seemed to believe them and that was pure relief.

Hinata nodded, "I understand, Master. Please, be careful on your journey." She said.

Tomoyo and Rika nodded. "Be careful, too." Her master said and then turned to Shinichi, "Shinichi, protect Tsuki well. I leave her to your care."

"Yes, Tomoyo-sama! I'll protect her while you two are away." Shinichi replied eagerly.

Shinichi's words made Hinata smile.

"We're going then. See you in three days." Rika said. "_Itterrashaimase_." Hinata and Shinichi said in unison and waved at them.

Rika and Tomoyo then took their leave and closed the house's door when they were out. Leaving the maiden uninformed of the truth about their journey.

Hinata then went back to the mini-library of their house to resume reading the new book of "Rare Medicinal Herbs" she borrowed from the Library yesterday. Shinichi went with her to clean some of the book shelves. It was already late afternoon and the clinic in the village was closed early because of Tomoyo's journey. And they were also short of medical supplies so they had to close for a while. She just hoped that nothing bad happens to the villagers. Well, she could stop worrying for a short time because the Lord promised that he will give the villagers enough supply of food, money and other basic necessities after all. Somehow, even if she knew what kind of person the Lord was, she can trust him in keeping his promises.

"_Man, this village sucks." Naruto was dismayed, "You people have to deal with all of that? What kind of leader is your Lord then? He should be the one taking care and protecting his village and the villagers, right?"_

Naruto all of a sudden flashed in her thoughts, making her blush. She shook her head and concentrated on reading the sentence she was reading for numerous times already. But no matter how much she tried to concentrate, she still couldn't comprehend the words from the book because her mind was not present. It was somewhere else… because she was thinking somewhere else.

"_If you want to be the leader of this nation, you better start caring for your people first." Naruto said, "Seriously, who would ever want someone like you to lead them? Not even the slightest care I could see in your eyes. You can never be compared to those leaders I know." He threw the old man's hand back and Hiraishi glared daggers at him._

_He took Hinata by the hand, "Let's go, Tsuki." _

Hinata's heart was beating madly. Whenever she remembered him, she always felt like this. She couldn't control her heart and she felt butterflies in her stomach; no one made her feel this way before.

_Naruto took a better look at her smile and then turned around to go back to his companions. After five steps, he faced Hinata back, "Next time, I want you to just call me "Naruto". Naruto-san is too formal." He grinned._

_Hinata received butterflies in her stomach upon seeing his boyish grin, she didn't know what to do or what to say. But all of a sudden, she involuntarily smiled back at him and told him, "Then… is 'Naruto-kun' all right?"_

It was no use. There was no possibility that he would leave her thoughts. She just chose to close her book since she wouldn't understand anything in it with the state of her mind. She looked away and stared at the window, where she could see the tall trees of the forest. "I wonder when Naruto-kun will return…" she said under her breath.

"Who is this Naruto-kun, nee-san?" Shinichi spoke from beside her.

Hinata was caught off guard. "Shi-shinichi-kun!"

Shinichi looked at her suspiciously, "Who's Naruto-kun?"

Hinata looked away, "W-what are you saying, Shinichi-kun?" she gulped hard.

"You can't hide anything from me, nee-chan! You're so obvious. You were blushing all this time and then you mumble this guy's name. So tell me, pretty please?" Shinichi said with a teasing smile.

Hinata slumped her back on her chair and sighed in defeat, "All right. But… don't tell this to Tomoyo-sama and Rika-nee-san, okay?"

Shinichi promised.

Hinata began telling the story to the ten-year-old boy. Starting from the beginning when they first met each other in the forest. Tomoyo and Rika didn't know how she met Naruto first. She couldn't tell them that she was nearly raped back then for she knew that they will feel very bad for not being able to do anything. She just told Shinichi that she encountered the spies in the forest of the Lord's island and wanted to kill her and then that's when Naruto came to save her. But she skipped the part where she could see Naruto's memories—Shinichi wouldn't understand that. Still, she told him everything she felt about him… Her heartbeat, the butterflies in her stomach, her thoughts of him… she just had to let somebody know.

Shinichi grinned, "This means one thing, nee-san."

Hinata blinked. "Eh?"

"You love him!" Shinichi exclaimed.

Hinata blushed to the extremes. She felt her face all hot.

"If I were you, nee-san. I won't let him go. Look, he's Uzumaki Naruto, the Great Hero who stopped the war! He's a very strong ninja! He's brave and incredible! If he saved the world, then he can save us from this village too." Shinichi said.

Hinata's heart was uncontrollable. It felt like it would jump out of her chest anytime because of its very fast pace. "I… I… I fell in love with… Naruto-kun…" she said softly.

Indeed, that would explain everything. It is just her who kept on denying how she really felt towards the ninja. She knew that she started to develop special feeling for him. She just wanted to stop it because she was afraid that he wouldn't love her back once he finds out the truth about her. That she was a cursed priestess… How could he possibly love her back? He was the Great Hero. And what was she? She was just a weird girl with weird skills. There are other girls there better than her. Those who are normal. Those who are strong.

Shinichi noticed the sad look on her flushed face. "I'm sure he'll keep his promise! He'll come back for you!" he said, trying to cheer the girl up. He didn't know what she was thinking now. So he just concluded that she was missing her Hero.

Hinata knew that Shinichi was trying to make her feel better. She smiled at him and patted his head, "Thank you for letting me say this to you. You really helped me, Shinichi-kun."

"So, you're not sad anymore? You don't miss him anymore?" Shinichi asked.

Hinata giggled and ruffled his hair. "Such a silly boy. Of course I'm not sad anymore. You're with me." She then gave him a motherly hug. Sometimes, she had to lie to Shinichi so he wouldn't think much with his young mind. She then saw that the altar had no fresh flowers anymore, she gently broke the hug and stood up.

"Rika-nee-san probably forgot to pick up flowers this morning." She said. "Shinichi-kun, I'll go out for a moment to pick flowers for our altar."

"Eh? I'm going with you." Shinichi said.

"You can stay here. I won't take long." Hinata said as she wore her white haori over her yellow kimono. "Besides, no one dares to enter this forest except us. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure you're going to be all right?" Shinichi asked.

"Mou, Shinichi-kun… am I not that strong enough for you? Were you still not impressed when Itachi-ni-san and Tomoyo-sama trained me?" Hinata pouted as she took a basket for the flowers.

"It's not that, nee-san! I just—"

"Then I'll be going! I'll be back before you know it." She smiled sweetly at him and walked towards the door to get out of the house. Somehow, she was glad that Rika forgot to pick flowers this morning. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts… she wanted to be alone to clear her feelings for Naruto.

* * *

Suigetsu kicked the door of the room in the Inn they're staying at in the Hidden Village of Thorns. He was carrying a girl with him. He looked around, and was not amused that Jugo had the room all to himself again. "Sasuke's out again? Good." He said and then turned to the beautiful lady in his arms, "I guess I better rent us another room since we won't have this room on our own."

"I'm fine anywhere you take me, Sui-chan." The lady said seductively as she kissed his ear.

Suigetsu chuckled, "I'll give you a fantastic time, Miu-chan." He replied, "Hey, Jugo. Tell Sasuke that I don't care whenever he wants to leave this village. I'm staying in another room. You handle his depression. I'm gonna go have fun."

Jugo just gave him an emotionless look, and trailed Suigetsu with his eyes as he walked away with a woman on his arms. When his silver-haired companion was gone, he turned his gaze back to the sight of the busy village from his window, hoping to see Sasuke walking somewhere soon. Sasuke always went out without saying anything to them. Then he would come back without any words, too. The Uchiha never spoke a word to them ever since they arrived in this village.

It was making Jugo a little bit worried. He was acting weird again. It seems like Sasuke was looking for somebody in this village… Jugo just couldn't figure out who it was and why.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke had been searching for that girl he saw when he went down the decks of the ship at the shore. The one covered with white haori… he felt something different with that girl. He just needed to find her. He was done searching the village so he started to search in the forest, having a hunch that she'd be staying there.

He was leaping from branch to branch, and searching in every angle his eyes could cover.

But all of a sudden, he heard a high-pitched sound echoing in his ears. It struck his head hard and made him stop on top of one branch. He leaned his hand on the tree trunk to support his body, and placed his other hand to massage his temples.

"Not… now…"

_**Traitor.**_

Sasuke heard that cold deep voice again in his head. He shut his eyes, and tried to erase that voice talking in his mind. But… he failed. From the darkness, he could see two figures glaring at him with sharp, dreadful eyes. He was trapped in the deepest part of his mind again.

"_Get out_…" Sasuke said.

"_You're a traitor, Uchiha Sasuke. You're a traitor."_ Uchiha Obito said.

Sasuke refused to look at them.

"_Just like your elder brother Uchiha Itachi. You betrayed our clan, Sasuke. You chose to protect that village instead of defending your own clan. Just like what your brother did._" Uchiha Madara said, "_You have no reason left to live in this world. You deserve not to continue living_!"

Sasuke clenched his fists. "_Shut up_…"

"_If you chose to help us… If you chose to kill that Uzumaki Naruto during the war… then you'd be part of our paradise. You'd be part of the new world we made where there is no suffering! You'd be part of the new world where that __**girl**__ would be alive_." Madara said.

Sasuke grabbed the hilt of his katana and unsheathed his weapon to attack Madara. He swung the katana towards Madara but in the midst of his attack, the man disappeared like an illusion.

"_Just like me… you lost someone very precious to your heart. But you let our chance slip off our hands. You betrayed us. You chose to fight side by side with the village. You chose to fight with the village which killed our entire clan. You let the chance of seeing that girl again slip. Traitor."_ Obito said. He lifted his hand towards Sasuke and dark auras came out of his sleeves and surrounded the young Uchiha.

Sasuke struggled with the dark aura but all of a sudden, it made him a deep pit and trapped him at the bottom.

Madara and Obito were staring down at him from the top of the pit.

"_You don't deserve to be an Uchiha_." Madara said.

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He was trying his best to fight the dark auras, but he couldn't move his body. It's like he couldn't control it at all.

"_You chose to fight side by side with that village… the village that made your brother suffer_!"

That voice… that voice sounded very familiar to Sasuke.

"_No… No…" _Sasuke didn't want this to be true.

He had several nightmares about Obito and Madara… but without this man.

"_No…"_

He didn't want to believe his eyes. He didn't want for that man to be in here.

"_Sasuke… how could you do this to all of us?" _Uchiha Fugaku said as he glared in disgust at his youngest son.

Sasuke gulped hard, he shut his eyes tightly, wanting to get the hell out of this darkness.

"_Stop it…" _

"_Why Sasuke? Why?"_

"_We all trusted you…"_

"_Why must you do this, my son? How could you?"_

Several familiar voices spoke but he refused to open his eyes. He knew that even his mother was there along with the other clan members. He wanted to escape this prison…he wanted to get away from this horrible nightmare.

"_Leave me alone!"_ He shouted on top of his lungs. But the haunting voices continued and became louder.

"_Sasuke… why_?"

"_TRAITOR! TRAITOR! TRAITOR!"_

"_YOU MUST DIE!"_

"_You're unworthy to be an Uchiha!"_

Sasuke's nightmares hadn't been as devastating as this. He knew that everything that was happening was just an illusion… an illusion that Uchiha Madara left him before he died. An illusion that would continue living in the deepest of his mind. He tried fighting it… but he always ended up getting away—running away. Because he was afraid… he felt like it was eating him alive.

"_Yameroooooooo_!"

He shouted again. But it was no use. He was still trapped in this abyss.

"_Aaaaaaaargh! Yamerooooo!"_

He kept on shouting until tears were forming in his eyelids and sliding down his cheeks. He wanted to get out of here.

"_Sasuke-san!"_

All of a sudden, he heard the voice that gave light to his everything. He opened his eyes, and saw her on top of the cliff extending her hand to help him.

"_Sasuke-san! Take my hand!"_

A young Hyuga Hinata looked at him in the eye, staring at him with her ever beautiful innocent Hyuga eyes.

"_You have to wake up, Sasuke-san! You must overcome this!" _ the Hyuga daughter said.

"_Hina…ta_…" The pain in Sasuke's chest started easing just hearing her voice and seeing her angelic face. The dark aura surrounding his body began dissolving and he was able to move his hand to reach for her.

Hinata smiled down at him, _"Just a little more_…"

Sasuke extended his hand higher and finally took a hold of Hinata's delicate one. Abruptly, light conquered the darkness and everything that terrified Sasuke disappeared into thin air.

Hinata hoisted him up from the cliff with a bright smile on her face. _"You're safe now, Sasuke-kun."_

.

.

.

"Sir! Please, wake up! Are you all right?" Hinata shook Sasuke gently on her lap. She found him lying unconscious in the forest, and it seemed that he was suffering a horrible nightmare. She was just done healing him, trying to wake him up from his nightmare—somehow, she succeeded since the tense muscles of his body started to relax.

"He has a fever…" She said softly as she felt the heat from his forehead. "I must take him to the house… he wouldn't probably regain consciousness for now."

All of a sudden, the stranger began twitching his eye brows.

Hinata looked at him, "Sir? Are you awake now? Sir?"

Sasuke's eyes began to open, but he felt his eyelids very heavy. He could only see a figure right in front of his eyes but he could hear her voice quite well.

"Are you all right? Please, speak to me."

He tried adjusting his eyesight to decipher who the person was in front of him.

Then he saw her face…

He saw his Hinata's face. Her eyes, her nose, her cheeks and her lips… But she was not young anymore—she was of the same age as him.

Sasuke had a gentle smile on his lips, he began lifting his hand up to touch her pretty face.

"You're… alive…"

Hinata blinked her eyes confusedly. Her face flushed upon the sudden contact of his hand with her face.

"Sir?"

Sasuke's hand fell down from her face and his eyes slowly closed. He was sleeping tranquilly now. All the pain written on his face was nowhere to be seen.

"I have to get him to the house." Hinata said, she took a paper talisman from her pouch to summon a creature that could help her transport Sasuke's body.

But all of a sudden, flashes of images occurred in her mind again that made her pause.

Her eyes grew widely of what she was seeing.

"These…"

Flashes of images kept on occurring, and several voices echoed in her mind.

She couldn't believe her eyes.

She couldn't believe that she was seeing this.

She couldn't believe that it was not only Naruto's memories that she was able to see…

But also Sasuke's memories.

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:**

You don't know how happy I am for being able to update! I don't know when the next chapter would come out so... I think I'm gonna cry again. TT^TT Thank you so much for all your reviews and support! \(^0^)/

See you soon! I hope...

Please review!

**VOCABULARY**

**Nani- what**

**Itterrashaimase- have a safe trip**

**Yamero- stop**


	23. Chapter 23: Arranging the Puzzle Pieces

**a/n: **

Whew. Here I am! Alive and in one piece! :) THANK GOD!

These past few weeks have been really rough for me, I'm glad that I'm able to update. I was just done moving my things to a new apartment... right now I'm really exhausted. BUT! Reading your reviews refreshed me again! And I'm happy that I bought a new laptop. Hehehe.

Minna-sama... thank you very much for your reviews! Even if I update irregularly... you're all still there. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'm gonna start my college life on Monday... But I will not abandon this story. I will continue no matter what happens!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

**Chapter 23: Arranging the Puzzle**

It was a cold night in the Hidden Village of Thorns. Rain clouds occupied the entire sky making the stars and moon unseen to one's eyes. The people prepared for the expected rain fall this night hoping that it wouldn't rain too hard to again destroy their houses, at the same time they hoped that the rain would be enough to give them enough supply of water for three or more days. Raining was much awaited by the villagers, it was the only way they could think of to store their own water.

Soon, it began raining.

The breeze was colder in the forest compared to the village. Rain drops slowly and gently drenched the forest.

Drip.

Drop.

Drip.

Drop.

Hinata could hear the sound of the droplets of water dripping from a small crack of the roof to the floor in the house's kitchen. It was dark in the kitchen and the only source of light of the room was a dimly lit lamp that Hinata made when she came back earlier that afternoon. She leaned her back on the wooden door and slid down the ground to hug her knees. She locked her eyes on the floor and stared in an expressionless manner. She couldn't help it—it was too much already.

She hugged her knees tighter and shut her eyes as she began to remember what she saw earlier when she met him. When she saw Uchiha Sasuke unconscious in the middle of the forest as she was picking flowers for the altar.

"_**Kehehehe… blood… blood…"**_

_Then a maniacal laugh came-forth. A slender young maiden stared at him in astonishment, she was down on the ground with her fine kimono stained in blood. The young Hyuga Hinata was in serious danger._

"_**Blood! I need to see more blood!"**_

_The red-haired creature shouted as the sand formed in his command to attack the girl. _

_Unexpectedly, a flash of black interrupted her sight on the sand. Right in front of her, a black haired shinobi blocked the attack by crossing his arms in front of his face, receiving all the damage and preventing her from getting hurt._

_The sand then seized._

"_**AAAAARGH! UCHIHA SASUKE!"**_

"_**This is bad… Gaara's definitely losing it." **_The girl said.

"_**We should waste no time. We have to get him away from here as soon as possible**_." The boy said.

_Giving Sasuke one last glare, they carried Gaara away and left the Uchiha and the Hyuga._

"_**Hey! Wait**_**!" **_Sasuke was about to chase after them, but he was too injured to move when he blocked the attack._ "_**Damn it!"**_ _he cursed as he couldn't stop himself for crouching on the_ _ground_.

"_**Th… Thank you for saving my life**__." Hinata finally found the words to say as she mustered her strength on going to him._

"_**You don't need to thank me. I did that because I'm that guy's opponent." **__Sasuke said coldly. He forced his body to stand up, but his injuries pained him like hell, causing him to wince_

"_**D-Do not move, please. Your injuries shall be tended first."**_

"_**I don't have time for this! I need to run after that guy!"**_

"_**I-I am not letting you fight him in that condition. Y-You will stand no chance." **__She said as bravely as she could. "__**I… I will help you."**_

"_**How can a Hyuga help me? You're not even a ninja." **_

"_**I will heal your injuries."**_

Hinata felt the cold breeze enter the room from the opened wooden window. She can smell the scent of the grass that accompanied the wind. But much as she loved its fragrance, it didn't help her relax her mind. Ever since she met Naruto, everything for her became confusing. First of all, she has been told so many times and she didn't have any abilities to look into the past nor into the future. She cannot see other people's memories. Now, she could see Naruto's memories… furthermore, she could also see Uchiha Sasuke's memories.

Why and How?

Why is it that she could only see their memories but not other people's? She tried to see Shinichi's, Rika's, Tomoyo's, Mizu's and the other villager's memories but… it was no use. She can't see anything at all. Why is it only working on Naruto and this stranger named Sasuke? Most of all, why was that young Hyuga Hinata involved again? She saw that girl in Naruto's memories… but she also saw her in Sasuke's memories. Why is that? How do they all know each other? How are they connected to one another?

Tsuki gripped on her shoulders. She held back tears that were forming in her eyes.

"Uchiha… Sasuke…" she suddenly muttered.

_Could he be… could he be Itachi-nisan's younger brother? _

She could remember that one time Itachi mentioned that he has a younger brother. It was the day she could never forget—the day when he left them last year.

"_I need a younger brother to take care of. I don't know when I'll come back. Promise me you'll stay safe, Tsuki."_

Those were the last words she heard from him. That was also the last time she saw him. But then it was after a week when they heard news about him.

"_Uchiha Itachi is dead."_

Hinata couldn't believe it. She always believed that her Itachi-nisan was the strongest yet kindest ninja in the world… she could never believe that he was dead. But it was proven when Shinra searched for his soul and she saw it traveling to the path of the dead. The tragic event tore all their hearts—Hinata spent an entire night mourning for his death. He was always very nice, caring and gentle to her. He was an elder brother that she wished to have. Even if they were not biologically related, she treated him as her own brother. Despite that he was a member of a deadly association and considered as a criminal all around the world, she never thought of him badly. She knew that her Itachi-nisan was nothing but a gentle person who will do anything for his loved ones.

Shinra took it the hardest among them. It took her quite a while before she was able to get to her feet again. After all, they all knew that Shinra loved Itachi so much and that he loved her back. They were all hoping that their romance could bloom far more than that. Hinata felt very lonely for Shinra… and also for Itachi's brother. Hinata didn't know how Itachi died. She knew that Shinra, Rika and Tomoyo know but they wouldn't tell her. It was no use if she continued asking… maybe Itachi didn't want to let her know too. So she just hoped… she just hoped that before Itachi died, he was able to see his younger brother.

Hinata lifted her head up and looked at the window. She saw the rain outside. She and Itachi usually watched rains during the night, it calmed them both.

"Itachi-ni-san… what am I to do now?" She whispered. "Rika-nee-san and Tomoyo-sama refused to talk to me… Shinra-nee-san hasn't returned yet. There are so many questions in my mind but I'm nowhere near to any of its answers."

She sighed in exhaustion. She remained seated on the ground and kept hugging her knees to keep herself warm from the cold weather. She tried to calm herself. She tried to remember the calmness she felt when she and Itachi were listening to the sound of the gentle rain outside.

After a moment, she stood up and took the dimly lit lamp from the table and went out of the kitchen. She walked towards the room where she placed Sasuke. She partly slid the door open and peeked from the outside of the room. She saw him sleeping silently on the bed. His face peaceful from the gentle glow of the lamp on the nearby table. Hinata quietly entered the room to kill the fire of the lamp. When she was near enough to see his face again… she could see anew how much he resembled Itachi. There was no mistake. He is Itachi's younger brother no matter how she looked at it.

"I wonder… how your life was." She said softly to the sleeping Uchiha.

She carefully stepped away from him and went out of the room. She closed the door and then Shinichi suddenly approached her.

"Nee-san? How is he?" The boy asked curiously.

Hinata smiled at him, "He's fine. He's just asleep. How is the well?"

Shinichi gave her a thumbs-up. "The water's starting to fill it up. We'll have fresh water again in no time." he grinned.

"That is good to hear. Well, it has been a long day for us. Go to bed now, Shinichi. I'll take care of what's left to do." Hinata raised a finger when Shinichi was about to appeal, "No complaints. You must go to bed. You still have classes tomorrow in Mizu-oji-san's library, right? We don't want you to be late."

Shinichi sighed, "Fine… Good night, nee-san." He then started walking away to go to his bedroom.

"Good night. Pray before you sleep." She replied.

Hinata lingered outside Sasuke's room and watched Shinichi until he was back to his bedroom. She partially opened the door of Sasuke's room again and looked at him, "Good night, Sasuke-san." She whispered and then closed the door and went away.

* * *

"_Aaaargh!"_

_The shaman in black robe screamed in pain as blood in his chest burst out upon receiving a fast slash from the Katana of a raven-haired ninja. He fell to his knees and joined the corpses of the other shamans on the floor that the ninja slaughtered._

_Uchiha Sasuke's hawk eyes narrowed as he glared at his prey steadfast. His blood was boiling. He wanted his Kusanagi to stab her throat. _

"_I'm very impressed, Uchiha Sasuke." _

_The head shaman, Masayo, smiled devilishly at him and his companions. She was charming and as beautiful as always. Her long smooth her shone on her shoulders, her sharp dark eyes glinted with sinister, her red lips as red as blood and her face as smooth as porcelain. As she was seated on her throne, she crossed her long feminine legs and leaned her chin on her knuckles. _

"_Hmmm, so she's the head shaman? Much different from what I thought of." Suigetsu commented as he readied his saber. _

"_Keh! What's so special about her?" Karin glared at Masayo with obvious envy. _

_Jugo made no comment and just made sure that he has enough vigilance to support the whole team._

_Without wasting any more time, Sasuke ran towards Masayo to attack her. He gripped the hilt of his katana tightly as he gritted his teeth. His sharingan eyes not shifted away from his prey. Lightning then appeared from his Katana and charged to Masayo's direction. _

_Masayo remained comfortably seated on her throne. Before the lightning could make more than half a distance to her, a black paper talisman was thrown by the person standing in the shadows. The black talisman then swallowed Sasuke's lightning attack and it burnt. In a blink of an eye, Domon stood in the middle of the door room, acting as a border between the Head Shaman and Sasuke. _

"_Now who the hell is this guy?!" Karin flinched. _

_Domon stood ahead of Sasuke and all of a sudden, black wolves were summoned and rose from the ground to prevent Sasuke for getting any further._

_Sasuke used his lightning again and eliminated some of the wolves. But, they kept coming to attack him. Suigetsu and Jugo immediately came into action._

_Masayo watched them fight. "Your small team impressed me, Uchiha Sasuke. You were able to breakthrough my temple with such few companions. You managed to eliminate several of my powerful servants—well, most of them were weak so I might say thank you for eliminating them for me."_

"_Sasuke. Jugo and I are going to handle this creepy beautiful long-haired guy. You go finish that woman!" Suigetsu said and swung his sword to destroy the remaining black wolves. _

_Domon summoned his black sword, "I will not let any of you pass." Then his sword floated in the air and ancient carvings began to emit a red glow._

_Red lightning began striking them from above. Suigetsu and Sasuke were able to keep up with the pace of dodging, Jugo went back to cover Karin. _

"_You don't have to summon that yet, my brother." Masayo raised a hand to command him to stop. _

"_Masayo—Masayo-sama. I need to eliminate them before they harm you." Domon said._

"_Oh no." Masayo chuckled. "They cannot harm me. Not even a single hair." _

"_Are you that conceited? Don't you dare underestimate us." Suigetsu defended his pride._

_Masayo stood up from her throne and stared directly into Sasuke's sharingan eyes. "Have you forgotten… what I have?" she said._

_Sasuke all of a sudden froze on his spot as he met her gaze. His teammates stared at him in confusion._

"_Killing me… will also kill that poor little girl's younger sister." Masayo said, "Didn't you know? My soul and Hyuga Hanabi's soul are still connected to each other. By killing me, you will destroy the future of Hyuga Hinata's family… and she will never ever forgive you."_

"_Oi. Sasuke! Don't believe her! Go on and just finish her off!" Suigetsu said. _

_Domon was attentive to all of their foes' moves. He didn't take his eyes off them even a single second._

_Masayo raised a brow and then all of a sudden a sealed jar appeared floating in front of her. "Might as well you know what's inside of this." _

_Sasuke's eyes widened. Could it be… could it be that what's inside that jar is…_

"_One wrong move, I'll destroy this jar. By doing that… it also means that I will destroy Hyuga Hinata's soul—"_

_In a heartbeat, Sasuke went pass through Domon to get to the jar that was Masayo was holding. He knew it contained Hinata's soul. If he could get it back… maybe he'll be able to—resurrect her. She may be able to live again. He and she will be able to—_

"_Sasuke! Watch out!" Karin shouted on top of her lungs. _

_A long black spike stabbed Sasuke from behind. The spike went through his flesh, and ribs and flew out of his system to get back to its wielder. Sasuke fell down on the ground bleeding as Masayo looked down on him. _

"_You let your guard down, Uchiha Sasuke." Masayo said._

_Sasuke was trying to stand from the floor. His whole body was shaking but he ignored the pain, "Her… soul… give me Hinata's… soul…"_

"_Sasuke!" Karin dashed towards him to his aid. _

"_Give back… her soul…" Sasuke said in between his heavy breathings. "GIVE HER BACK!"_

"_I am sorry but you will never see her again." Masayo then opened her palms and a violet radiant clouded Sasuke's mind. _

_After that… everything went pitch black._

* * *

Sasuke opened his eyes. He saw that dream again. The night when he and his team invaded the Temple of the Shamans two years ago. He clenched his cold fists as he kept hearing Masayo's evil chuckles. It was very clear to him—everything that happened that night two years ago.

He cursed his self. He was angry at his self. He couldn't do anything that time… Hinata's soul was trapped in Masayo's hands but he still couldn't do anything to save her. He was still weak. He was still useless.

In the end, he couldn't save her again.

The cold wind blew and entered the room from the window nearby his bed. He surveyed his eyes around.

"This place is…"

He was not in his room in the Inn. The place was different and he had never been in this room before. He sat up on his bed and brought his hand to his temples. He shut his eyes as he tried to rethink of what happened to him.

He was searching for that girl… that girl whom he saw wearing a white Haori on the shore. Then he went to the forest—then Obito and Madara haunted his mind again. After that, he saw Hinata's face—then his eyes closed and darkness engulfed him. But he felt peace that time. He felt light.

He brought his legs at the edge of the bed and then stood up to get his Kusanagi leaning on the wooden wall beside the window. He then heard light footsteps from behind him, he swiftly turned and unsheathed his katana.

Hinata halted on her steps upon seeing the Katana inches away from her throat.

Sasuke inspected her with his eyes from head to toe. She had incredibly thick long bangs covering her eyes, she had long dark blue hair, fair skin, and she wore a yellow kimono with light green obi. Even with his weapon pointed at her, she didn't flinch nor get frightened. She just stood there calmly with a tray of soup in her hands.

And…

Sasuke slowly retrieved his Kusanagi.

…she resembled _her._

"_Ohayo gozaimasu." _Hinata spoke, "I figured that you'd be awake by now so… I made breakfast for you." She placed the tray on top of the table near the bed.

Sasuke didn't tear his gaze from the maiden. "Who are you?" he said in a deep voice.

Hinata smiled at him, "I am Tsuki. I was the one who found you yesterday at the forest." She answered.

Sasuke looked out the window to inquire of his present coordinates.

"You're in my house… we're still in the forest." Hinata said, knowing the question in his mind. "I was on my way home from picking flowers when I saw you lose consciousness in the middle of the forest. How are you feeling now? You were running a high fever last night…" she was walked towards him and was about to reach for his forehead when he suddenly glared daggers at her.

"Don't come near me." Sasuke said coldly.

Hinata halted on her steps and decided to follow his command.

"I see… I am glad to hear that." She said. "I made that soup for you, please finish it. You haven't eaten anything since yesterday… you need to eat to replenish your energy. I-I would just be outside… do not hesitate to call me if you need anything."

She then bowed at him and left the room.

Sasuke trailed her with his eyes until she closed the door. He then stared at the warm soup on the table. _So… it's her whom I saw. It's not Hinata… _He thought to himself.

But… that girl—Tsuki—she resembled Hinata so much. It's like if Hinata were alive, she would be Tsuki.

_Tsuki — Moon._

Her name meant moon. It was a beautiful name… he could remember how Hinata liked looking at the moon during the night.

But… why was he feeling this? Why was he feeling as if Hinata and Tsuki were the same people?

* * *

"We have found it, Rika." Tomoyo said as the huge boulder revealed a passage for them. It was a very dark caveand a white staff was frozen inside a green crystal in the middle of the huge cave.

"Tomoyo-sama… you mean that is the…" Rika stared at the staff in amusement.

Tomoyo nodded, "Yes. That is the Sacred Priestess's Holy Staff." She walked inside the cave and Rika brought up the rear. "It has been hidden for hundreds of years. It's been waiting for its weilder to be re born."

When they were inside the cave, the passage behind them closed. The green crystal emitted a gentle glow in the dark cave. Tomoyo placed a hand on the crystal and felt its power.

"Just as I thought. This crystal was made by Maeko-obaa-sama's grandfather. It would take us a day or two to break it and replenish the Holy Staff's power." Tomoyo said, "It will probably take us more than three days before we can go back to Hinata-sama." She distanced herself from the Holy Staff and summoned her own staff.

"Follow my lead, Rika. I won't be able to do this without your help." She said.

"Yes, master." Rika said and also called for her staff.

Tomoyo held her staff in one hand, closed her eyes , and lifted two fingers with her other hand. She whispered ancient words and then her weapon glowed in green light and seemed to be absorbing the power of the crystal.

Rika started roughly. The power of the crystal was very strong that it gave her a hard time trying to keep up with Tomoyo. But then later on, she got used to it and she and Tomoyo had begun retrieving the Holy Staff.

* * *

9.00am Konoha Gakure.

Beads of sweat trailed down Shinra's forehead as she was still working on the scroll. She was able to rewrite all the contents of what was written in the replica with the pen Maeko gave her before she died. The Angel's Pen. It was the same pen that the wielders of the Scroll of Energy Detachment used to write the ancient characters. All day and all night, Shinra worked on making it work.

The scroll was laid flat open on the table in front of her, her palms directed at it as white light appeared from her hands.

"Please… Please accept me…" she said softly.

The ANBU and Naruto were guarding her and never left the secret chamber in the library since she started creating the scroll yesterday afternoon. Three ANBUs along with Naruto were the only ones allowed to remain in the chamber, the rest of the ANBU squad were scattered outside the library to keep an eye on the people entering the library.

Shinra was breathing heavy. Her knees were already shaking due to great exhaustion. She was getting weaker and the scroll has not yet responded to her powers.

"I will… not give up. Please… accept me." She said again and ignored the weakness of her body. "I need to save Hanabi-sama… for the Hyuga clan's sake—for Hinata-sama's sake."

And then all of a sudden, the writings on the scroll glowed and gave off a strong impact to Shinra, making her get pushed backwards.

"Shinra-nee-chan!"

Naruto immediately ran to her to catch her before she falls on the floor. "Are you all right?" he asked concernedly.

Shinra was trying to catch her breath. "It's responding… The scroll is starting to respond." She said in between her breathings. She tried to get back near the scroll, but her legs were weak to support her weight.

"I think you should take a break and recharge, Nee-chan. You've been working nonstop since yesterday and you haven't eaten or drunk anything." Naruto said worriedly. "Miki-nee made breakfast for you. That should be able to help you regain your strength."

"But we have no time to waste. I shall finish this as soon as possible—Hanabi-sama's state is getting worse day by day. Anytime, Masayo can get her soul. Since their souls have been connected to each other for so long, Masayo had made her curse stronger. Even if Hanabi-sama loses her life… Masayo wouldn't die for she will only absorb her soul." Shinra explained.

Naruto gritted his teeth. "Damn it. That shaman is really strong and tricky… damn it!" he cursed under his breath. "Hanabi-chan's life is in danger all this time… and I can't do anything to save her!"

Shinra just stared at Naruto. She knew that he was still blaming himself for not being able to protect Hinata from five years ago. She can clearly see how he was considering himself useless. That he couldn't protect Hinata—and now, he can't do anything for Hanabi.

Then all of a sudden, something struck her mind.

_The Protector of the Sacred Priestess._

She read and wrote those ancient characters on the scroll. Maybe… with his help…

"Naruto-dono! It's you… you will be able to help me finish this scroll and save Hanabi-sama above anyone else!" Shinra said.

Naruto looked at her, "How?! I will do anything to help you!"

Shinra suddenly forgot her impotent knees and stood up. She took both Naruto's hand and crossed the table so that they both have the scroll in between them. "Please, lend me your chakra. With your help, I will be able to complete the scroll."

Naruto didn't say a word and immediately obeyed Shinra's request. He concentrated his whole chakra on his hands to transfer it to Shinra's body. His body glowed a bright orange light as strong air pressure was released to his surroundings.

Shinra's green hair flew and was released from its bun.

'_He really has an enormous power.' _She thought to herself. She felt her body getting strong again from the power she was receiving from him. Wasting no more time, she returned to working on the scroll again. This time… she was sure that she will succeed.

* * *

Back in Ibara Gakure.

Hinata and Shinichi came out of the forest and got to the village. Before Shinichi left to go to his secret class in Mizu's library, she gave him two packs of lunch concealed in a violet cloth.

"Make sure you eat lunch, all right? This one, don't forget to give this to Mizu-oji-san." Hinata said.

"I get it already, Tsuki-nee-san." Shinichi said impatiently, "You didn't have to make one of these for me. I'm perfectly fine! I'm not a little kid who needs to have me meals always prepared. I can get my own food."

"And how are you going to get your own food?" Hinata said in a suspicious tone.

Shinichi looked away, "I'm going to buy something in the market. A bread or an apple…"

"You know that the merchants don't sell anything to the children, right?" Hinata said. "Don't you ever think of stealing again, all right? Do you understand me?"

"All right. All right. I was just kidding! Nee-chan's meals are the best!" Shinichi laughed.

Hinata pouted, "So you were just making fun of me?" and then she giggled. "Okay, okay. You must run along now. Mizu-oji-san must be waiting for you. I'll come by later when I'm done buying food in the market. Be careful."

"_Hai!" _Shinichi replied, but before he walked away, he looked at someone behind Hinata, who was leaning his back on a tree. "Hey you! I still don't know what your name is. But never mind that… I just want to make sure that you don't do anything to Tsuki-nee-chan! Or else you'll be sorry!" he threatened.

Sasuke just stared back at the boy without interest.

"Shinichi." Hinata called him, "Don't say things like that to him. Go now. You're going to be late. Remember, stay out of anyone's sight. We don't want you to be discovered by the tax collector attending Mizu-oji-san's secret classes." She reminded.

With one last glare at Sasuke, Shinichi walked away.

Hinata turned to Sasuke, "I apologize for that. Shinichi can become a little frank sometimes." She said.

"_Hn_." Was the monosyllabic word that Sasuke replied to her. He then walked out of the forest and went ahead of her.

Hinata sighed inwardly. Sasuke was very different from Itachi. Indeed. He was hard to handle. She then walked beside him, "Are you sure you're all right? Your fever may have subsided but… I think your body is still not yet in the right condition. You can still spend the night in our house in the forest." She said.

Sasuke halted on his steps and stood in front of her, blocking her path.

Hinata stopped and retained personal distance.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he stared down at her directly. Even with her eyes hidden, his eyes were directly and accurately on her gaze.

Hinata gulped hard. She was getting nervous… and frightened. He was tall enough to tower her. Probably as tall as Naruto—or even taller. Her height reached just below his nose. Compared to Naruto, Sasuke's eyes were cold and piercing. Pain, angst, agony, hatred and loneliness… Those were all written in his keen sharp eyes. She could feel it. Just like what she felt from Naruto, Sasuke was also suffering from the young Hyuga maiden's death five years ago.

"Who are you? I demand to know the truth." Sasuke said sharply.

Hinata flinched a little. "What are you saying? I am Tsu—"

"Your real identity. I want to know your real identity." Sasuke's deep voice empowered Hinata's soft voice. "You know who I am, right? You are just hiding your real identity. You are someone else."

"I have no idea what you're—"

"You are not from here. You resemble so her so much—this is not coincidence. I've seen those eyes. Before I lost consciousness, I was able to see those eyes." He gripped her shoulders tightly, "Those are Hyuga eyes, I am certain of it. If she were alive, she would be the same age as you are right now. But I do not believe that this is just coincidence—I do not believe that you only resemble her. Tell me. Tell me that you are Hinata."

Hinata's lips trembled as she looked away from him, she tried to escape his grasp but he was holding her strongly.

"You are Hinata, right? Answer me."

"Let go of me…" She said.

"I need your answer." He demanded forcefully.

"Let go of me!" She mustered her strength and successfully pushed him away from her. She was breathing heavily and her hands were shaking madly. Her hidden eyes glared at him with anger and confusion. "_Watashi wa…"_

She brought her a hand on top of her chest and clenched it into fist. _Why…? Why am I always being compared to that girl? To Hyuga Hinata? _

"I am not somebody else! I-I am Tsuki. I don't know anything about the person you are speaking of. I am not her. Y-you do not know who I am and what I've been through. And I do not know who you are and what your life was." Her voice shook but she tried her best to talk straightly. "This… this is the very first time I've seen you."

Sasuke stood firmly on his spot, not tearing his gaze from her. "You're lying. You're her. I know you're her. I can feel that you're her. You just have to spit out the truth already!"

"I am telling the truth! W-what is it that you want me to say? That—that I'm that person you thought of? That I've been alive all along and I want to come back to you?" Tears flowed down the maiden's cheeks, "I know nothing of the girl you are talking about. She and I are not the same people! I have my own identity!" She then ran pass him and left him alone.

Sasuke turned, he intended to follow her. But all of a sudden, he literally froze on his spot when he saw her delicate figure running away from him. He frightened her. He scared her. He hurt her.

He clenched his hands into tight fists.

He made her cry.

He was the worst.

"That… was the very first time I've seen that girl cry." A drunken voice from an elderly man came from beside an abandoned cottage just by the border of the forest.

Sasuke gazed towards the old man hidden in the cottage. The man showed himself to Sasuke as he was drinking a bottle of _sake_.

"She's a mysterious girl, but she is kind. Helped me multiple times when I drink too much." The drunkard said and slid down to the ground then leaned at the wall of the cottage. "She and her family came to the village five years ago. Don't know where they came from. Yes… they lived inside that forest. They were four… She was one of Tomoyo-san's nurses. The others were named Rika and—I don't really know the name of the other one. After a year, they adopted that boy Shinichi. He was my good friend's grandson. But Shinichi's family died of starvation. Unlike me, they don't know how to live with only _sake_.

The old man chuckled, "They were really odd people. I even heard that a ninja was helping them live in that forest—never knew if that was true, though. That girl, Tsuki, you see those long bangs nearly covering half of her face?"

Sasuke didn't respond. He just kept looking at the drunkard.

"She hid her eyes. Because people here say that she was cursed. She had cursed eyes because even if she was blind, she could still clearly see. Isn't that ridiculous? But I don't believe that… what I believe is that Tsuki is a very special person. She is not cursed. She and her family suffered so much during the first years they were here. Those first-class people treated them as slaves. But that girl… Tsuki… she never shed a tear. She was strong, she was courageous, and she was intelligent.

"I have never seen her cry until now. You're gonna have to… apologize to… her…" the man's eyelids were starting to fall down, "Before… before that ninja… comes back… for her…." and then after that, he fell asleep and left Sasuke in the air.

Sasuke walked away and left the drunkard sleeping at the outside of the abandoned cottage. He was a drunken old man, but he seemed to know Tsuki quite well. Even if he was a drunkard, he was able to extract information about the girl.

She was way too mysterious. He knew that there was something else to know about her.

But… maybe he could be wrong. That Hinata was Tsuki.

Hinata's body was buried in her grave. Hinata's soul was still trapped in Masayo's hands. How could Tsuki be Hinata then?

Maybe he was wrong all along. Maybe Hinata wasn't Tsuki after all.

Maybe it was best to let himself stop thinking that Tsuki and Hinata were not same people.

_Maybe._

* * *

10.55am Ibara Gakure.

Hinata entered the library and greeted the librarian on duty as Mizu was teaching the children in the hidden basement.

"Should I call for Mizu-sama, Tsuki-san?" the librarian asked her.

Hinata replied the negative, "I won't linger. Thank you. I will just borrow a few books." She placed the basket of the goods she bought from the market on top of a nearby library table.

"I see. Help yourself." The librarian said and gave her permission to access the realm of the books.

Hinata bowed at the librarian and proceeded first to the Medicinal Herbs section. She began collecting the books she needed and abruptly stopped when a thought struck her mind.

"_I saw those eyes. Those are eyes of a Hyuga, I am certain."_

Sasuke's voice again spoke in her mind.

Hinata clutched the books she had in her arms. His words had been bugging her. As the day goes on, everything was getting more and more confusing to her. Questions and mysteries continue to come but not a single answer was generous enough to be formulated.

_No. He's wrong. He doesn't know who I am. He may be Itachi-ni-san's brother… but he still doesn't know who I am. _

She said in her mind. She tried to rid of the things that had been bothering her and focused on picking the books she needed to read… but she was not fortunate to escape her thoughts. She nervously bit her lower lip.

_What if… it is I… who don't know anything about my identity?_

.

.

.

After fifteen minutes or so, Hinata was done searching for the books. She borrowed three books from the Medicinal Herbs section, and two books from History. She carried the basket of goods she left on a library table and went out of the library when she was done associating with the librarian.

"I'll be going then. Thank you so much. Oh, and please tell Shinichi to come home straight." She said.

"All right, I will. Be careful, Tsuki-san. Come back soon. Well, I know you will." The librarian chuckled.

Hinata walked out of the library and went back to the streets. She was on the path that would lead her back t the forest when she suddenly bumped into two men. The books she held and the basket fell off her grasp and scattered on the ground.

"Tsk! Watch where you're go—Oh… if it isn't the cursed girl." The man said.

"The woman who embarrassed our boss in the market last time." the other one said.

Hinata knew who these men were. They were the loyal _monkeys _of the heartless tax collector. "I am very sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." She said and crouched to gather the books and goods that had fallen on the ground.

"Well, you better be! Not so tough now, aren't you? You're brown-haired sister or co-nurse isn't here to defend you." The man guffawed and stepped on a book that Hinata was about to reach.

"Take off your foot, please." Hinata said.

"Oh, you're actually seeing his foot on that book? You can actually see us? Yeah, right! I forgot that you have cursed eyes. You're blind but you can still see." The other one said.

The villagers were just silently watching the scene. It can be clearly seen that they wanted to help Hinata, but no one dares to mess with the tax collector's underlings.

Well, except for one person.

"Leave her alone." A deep voice came from behind the _underlings_ that made Hinata look up. She knew who owned that cold, deep voice.

_Sasuke-san… _She mentally said.

The two men turned to face the source of the voice. "What the heck is your problem? Stay out of this!"

"Don't you know who we are?!"

"Scram. I don't want you near that girl." Sasuke said in a hard tone and glared at them.

The man gulped, "Wh-what's with that stare? Who do you think you are to order u-us around?!"

The other one pulled the man's arm and whispered, "He's definitely not from here. He has a sword… we have to get out of here."

"Tsk. I'll remember this. I'm letting you off the hook for now!" The two men then ran away and left Sasuke and Hinata.

Sasuke looked down at Hinata and then started to help her pick up her books.

Hinata looked away and placed the dropped goods back in the basket. "_Arigatou_…" she said softly.

.

.

.

In the early afternoon, Hinata returned to the house in the forest with Sasuke. Apparently, he was kind enough to volunteer to carry the heavy books she borrowed from the library.

"You may place it over there, please…" She said and pointed at a table near the bookshelves. She was always careful not to say his name. If she did, she has a strong intuition that Sasuke would grow more suspicious of her. He hasn't told her his name yet but she already knows who he is.

Sasuke obeyed without complaints and placed the books on the said table.

Hinata then went to the kitchen to make a meal for her and Sasuke. It was a token of gratitude since he saved her from the tax collector's underlings. The only ingredients she had were suitable for making _Omusubi—_she hoped that that would satisfy Sasuke's appetite.

She was about to walk out of the kitchen to ask him but Sasuke was already standing inside the kitchen with his back leaning against the wooden wall with his arms crossed beside the door. She didn't notice him walk inside at all. She didn't feel his presence.

Sasuke noticed that Hinata slightly jumped in surprise when she saw him. He can feel that she was uncertain and nervous that he was around. And he, himself, couldn't understand why he was still accompanying her after the argument they had earlier.

"_Anou_… o-omusubi… is that all right with you?" She said shyly to him, "I won't be able to make something more special than that…"

Sasuke wasn't able to comprehend the last things she said. She continued the mumbling and it was starting to give him a little annoyance.

"_Omusubi _is fine." He said sternly.

"All right… with _okaka_ then…" she said softly as she returned to the kitchen work.

Does she know that his favorite food was _Omusubi _with _Okaka? _Sasuke smirked inwardly. Then he just stood there without saying a word, watching her silently as she began to make food for the two of them. The way she moved… it was calm and demure. She was a lady with grace. She was an elegant woman—a woman with proper breeding, they say. He felt light and relaxed just by looking at her.

'_That… was the very first time I've seen that girl cry.'_

He suddenly remembered what the old man told him. He remembered her face with tears streaming down her cheeks. She was trembling. Her face was flushed. Her voice was shaky.

'_I know nothing of the girl you are talking about. She and I are not the same people! I have my own identity!'_

He went too far. He was very desperate. He knew that he shouldn't have done that. He couldn't understand why but… when he saw her cry that time… it stung his chest. He felt pain.

"I'm sorry."

Those words effortlessly made Hinata deprive from what she was doing. She remained about-faced from Sasuke.

"Forget everything I've said earlier… I was… I was mistaken." He said in a solemn tone of voice, "I… didn't mean to make you cry."

Hinata smiled softly as she resumed on making the onigiri. His apology somehow made her feel better. "It's fine… I wasn't able to contain myself either, _Shinobi_-san. Let's just forget about everything that's happened."

"…yeah."

Then there was cold silence between them. But after a minute r so, Sasuke decided to break the ice.

"Sasuke." He said. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke."

Hinata's soft smile grew wider. _I know_.

"Uchiha Sasuke… it's a very nice name." she said. She then turned to face him with her sweet smile, "It's very nice to meet you, Sasuke-san."

Sasuke didn't show how amazed he was with her smile. The warmth was slowly spreading in his chest.

'_Sasuke-san.'_

It has been a very long time… since he heard someone say his name that way.

Hinata could feel that she and Sasuke would possibly become friends. After all… he still is Itachi's younger brother.

* * *

2 days after…

"Aaaaaarggghhh!" Hanabi screamed in agony as she was lying in the middle of an ancient circle that Shinra made.

It was called the Izanami circle. It was an ancient spell that was developed by the very first sacred priestess five hundred years ago. Its function is to protect the body of the soul in the process of the disentanglement of two connected souls. The circle can also serve as a seal that would forever trap a human's soul or a summoned spirit.

Right outside the circle was the Scroll of Energy Detachment shining brightly. Shinra was knelt before the scroll with her hands clasped together.

Hanabi's body was surrounded by a mixture of violet and white light. The dark violet aura was a part of Masayo's soul, and the white aura was Hanabi's.

"Hanabi-sama! You must keep yourself together!" Shinra yelled on top of her lungs.

"AAAAARRRGGGHHH!" Hanabi screamed again.

The process had been ongoing since last night when Naruto and Shinra were able to completely create the scroll. Hiashi was immediately informed of the news and promptly took Hanabi to the secret chamber in the library to begin the process of curing.

"You must fight it, Hanabi-sama! You must not lose!" Shinra kept on telling her.

Neji kept his byakugan activated. He was clearly seeing what has been happening inside Hanabi's body. How the scroll's power has been affecting the attachment of two souls. How it would give a severe damage to her chakra path.

"HANABI-CHAN! HANG IN THERE!" Naruto shouted as loudly as he could. He was being restrained by Kakashi and Shikamaru by Tsunade's order since he was forbidden to interrupt and help Shinra. Still, he kept on forcing himself to be able to give his help to Hanabi.

Hearing her scream in pain drove his mind crazy.

It was like it's happening again.

It was like the reenactment of Hinata screaming in pain five years ago. The way Masayo made her suffer—it's like it was happening again. But this time, to Hanabi. And he was just standing there, watching and letting her suffer.

"Let me go, Kakashi-sensei, Shikamaru!" Naruto continued to struggle.

Shikamaru and Kakashi were already having a hard time restraining him. But Tsunade's order was "Never let him go."

"Stop, Naruto! You can't interrupt them!" Shikamaru said.

"LET ME GO! I have to help her! I just can't stand here watching Hanabi-chan suffer! Because of me… Hinata died. I wasn't able to do anything to protect her and I won't let that happen again. Not to Hanabi-chan!" Naruto shouted desperately.

Sakura, Ino and Shizune looked at Naruto in sympathy.

"Naruto…" Sakura said softly, she was about to go to Naruto to knock some senses out of him but Tsunade stopped her. "Master…?"

"Let him be." Tsunade said.

"HANABI-CHAN! YOU CAN DO IT!" Naruto shouted again.

Shinra was gasping for dear air, "Don't give up… Hanabi-sama… many are waiting for you. As well as _her." _She whispered to herself.

Hiashi walked towards Naruto and stood in front of him to block his way. His presence temporarily halted Naruto's struggles.

"Get a grip, Uzumaki Naruto!" the Hyuga clan leader shouted.

Naruto's eyes widened in bewilderment.

"My daughter would not be defeated easily. She knows how to fight for her life because she's a Hyuga! Shinra will not let her die… I will not let her die… Hinata will not let her die!" Hiashi exclaimed, "This is not about you, Uzumaki Naruto. This is about my daughter. If your interruption would cause problem in curing Hanabi, I will not think twice to be the one to stop you."

"Hiashi-sama… but I… BUT I—" Naruto was about to protest, but all of a sudden, Shinra spoke to him.

"You've already done enough to help us, Naruto-dono…" Shinra said. "Trust me. I promise to all of you that I will not fail. I will… definitely… save Hanabi-sama!"

"Shinra-nee-chan..." Naruto then calmed down.

Kakashi and Shikamaru loosened their grips on him as they felt his tensed muscles relax.

_Hanabi-sama will never die, Naruto-dono… with your power mixed with mine in that scroll—Hanabi-sama will be protected._

Shinra mentally said.

* * *

Hinata was in the market again buying vegetables for the dinner since she was expecting for Rika and Tomoyo to return from their journey. She was going to throw a feast tonight because she also wanted to invite Sasuke to come and meet her master and senior. She also wanted to thank him for he has been helping her for a few days now.

He would drop by every morning to check on her and accompany her when she was alone. He made sure that no one like those tax collector's underlings will come to bother her.

At first, Shinichi was against with Sasuke keeping Hinata company. He and Sasuke did not get along and the boy was always skeptical towards the Uchiha. But the more they spent their time together, Shinichi was starting to appreciate Sasuke. Hinata knew that Shinichi was seeing the similarities of Sasuke's appearance to Itachi. That boy was very close to Itachi, after all.

But now… even if Shinichi didn't admit it, Hinata could feel that he's starting to get along with Sasuke.

Hinata smiled to herself as she walked in the middle of the streets. Indeed, it was a very nice day. But all of a sudden, one event would turn things upside down.

Something caught the edge of Hinata's eyes. She saw a familiar face from afar… and she was quite sure who that person was.

Hiraishi, the Lord's son, was cautiously making his way at the village. He was taking discreet paths and was wearing a robe to cover his identity.

Hinata grew suspicious of his antics. Without thinking twice, she decided to follow where he was going. She followed his every step and proceeded carefully to not be noticed.

Soon, she was led out of the village. They were entering the most forbidden part of the forest. Tomoyo even forbade her to go there because the area was said to be sharing a power with the Forest of Thorns.

"What is he doing in a place like this?" Hinata whispered to herself. Still, she continued to follow him reluctantly and then they reached a cave. Within that cave, there was a hidden passage that led to a secret chamber.

"Ah, Hiraishi-sama! It is such a pleasure to see you again!"

She heard the tax collector's voice. She kept herself hidden from a shadowy place of the cave to continue to investigate.

"How is everything going? The weapon?" Hiraishi asked.

"We need more powerful equipment to make it stronger. The missile is strong enough to destroy the whole village, but I think the plane cannot yet bear its weight." The tax collector replied.

"I see. I believe that you've done your work?"

The tax collector nodded and gave the Lord's son three bags of money he collected from the villagers. "My collection for the whole week."

Hiraishi frowned, "Whole week? This is what you collect for the whole week? It's less than what you had the last time! So few! This will definitely not do!"

"I know Milord! But there was nothing left for me to collect from those second-class and third-class!"

"Then find a way! Collect more taxes from the first-class! We need to succeed on this no matter what happens. I don't care what it takes from me or what it takes from the village."

Hinata covered her mouth to compress her astonishment_. The taxes of the villagers… only go to a harmful weapon. They need to know this… this treachery must end! _

She carefully walked away from the secret chamber to escape unnoticed. But… unfortunately.

"Oh, look who we have here!" the tax collector's monkeys had spotted her and blocked her way.

Hinata halted on her steps. "Oh no…"

"Look, boss! You'll be happy to see this!" the other one called for the tax collector.

Hiraishi and the tax collector immediately went out of the room upon hearing the man's call. They both had sinister grins. "If it isn't the cursed girl who humiliated me in the market." The tax collector said.

The Lord's son gave him a look, "You also know this maiden? I assume that she also has a bad record to you, Touya." He said.

Touya nodded. "Oh, yes. I won't be able to forget that day. I was just trying to find time for payback."

Hiraishi chuckled and then turned to the girl, "You shouldn't be here, young lady. You do know what would happen to you now that you crossed the borders."

"Have you no heart?! The villagers are working so hard to earn money for their family and children! Yet you collect so many taxes day by day? How can you do this to them? How can you do this to all of us?!" Hinata said, "This shall stop. This will be known by the villagers. That you use their taxes not to improve the village but to create a destructive weapon."

Hiraishi raised his hand and hit Hinata on her face. She fell down the ground touching her hurt cheek.

"Finally I'm able to do that. Good thing that that loud-mouthed ninja hero isn't here to stop me anymore." He said and looked down at her. "Not a person like you… will stop me from my plans."

"You're a monster…" Hinata said back.

"Tie this woman up. I am going to punish her." Hiraishi told the two servants, "Make sure that you remain unseen as you take her to the dungeon of the palace."

"Yes, milord." The underlings replied.

"You better prepare yourself, young lady. I won't be merciful."

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:**

I don't know why but... I somewhat enjoyed writing the SasuHina scene. Oh no...

Anyways! Please, review! I, too, am dying for a NaruHina scene. Bear with me, please? Pretty please?

See ya peeps~ Wish me luck for my College life! I'm quite nervous... huhuhu.

**Vocabulary**

**Ohayo gozaimasu – Good morning**

**Watashi wa- I am**

**Sake- Japanese beer**

**Omusubi- (or Onigiri) Rice Ball**


	24. Chapter 24: Unforgivable Suffering

**a/n:**

Hey there guys! I'm back! (BOO!) Umm... so, I'm very sorry about the super late update. College life is... nearly killing me. Jk. Oh, and WOW. 296 reviews? Knowing this totally made me happy~! :) Thank you so much!

So, here's chapter 24. Enjoy. ^^ It's one of the moments I've been waiting for. Hihihi.

**DISCLAIMER: It breaks my heart to even type this... :( I do not own NARUTO.**

* * *

**Chapter 24: Unforgivable Suffering**

The next morning.

"AAARRRGHH!"

Masayo fell down to her knees and endured the pain in her whole body. She started vomiting blood as she clenched and unclenched her clammy hands. Her skin started to slightly grow old and lose its fairness. Her hair lost its shine and grew few silvers. She was starting to age. "No… this can't happen…" she writhed in agony.

Domon and Tetsuya promptly rushed towards Masayo for her aid.

"Who in the devil's name… is… doing… this?!" Masayo said in the midst of her coughs and vomits.

"Hang in there, my sister!" Domon said, "Servants! Prepare medicine immediately!" he commanded.

Masayo was breathing hard_. Who… who is capable of using the Scroll of Energy Detachment?! Maeko is already dead. Who could have done this to me!?_ Hanabi's soul was successfully separated from her and she couldn't do anything to stop the process. Someone was using the Scroll of Energy Detachment. Someone was able to become its new wielder. But… who was it? The Sacred Priestess? The Head Monk? And… how were they able to find that scroll hidden in that village?

No matter how hard she tried to repel the magic, she was not able to do anything. It was too strong. Not an ordinary priest or monk had this kind of power.

"Collect more souls, you fools! MORE SOULS!" Tetsuya ordered the servants. "Destroy a village and get their souls! Men, women and children. Do not let any of them live!"

"I will destroy that… person… whoever he is who's doing this to me…" Masayo said under her breath and then after that, she lost consciousness.

"MASAYO!"

* * *

Shinra slumped on the ground as the Izanami circle slowly disappeared and then the scroll lost its light and closed on its own. "We… have made it." She said softly and looked at the sleeping Hanabi on the ground. The expression on her face was peaceful and she was not suffering anymore. "Hanabi-sama… you're safe now…" she smiled to herself and started feeling her eyelids falling down.

"Shinra-san!" Sakura sprinted towards Shinra's direction and caught her on her arms before she fell on the ground unconscious.

Shizune and Ino immediately went to Hanabi to check on her current state. The Hokage's assistant pressed her thumb on Hanabi's wrist to feel her pulse as Ino checked the heiress's breathing.

"Hanabi-sama is fine. She's just sleeping." Shizune said to those who are present in the room. "It is all right to get near them now." She added.

Hiashi went to his youngest daughter at once. Shizune stood up and Ino gave way to him to get to his beloved daughter. The Clan Leader crouched down on the ground and brought Hanabi up to his arms. The expression on his face was limitless… no one could describe the happiness and relief that he was showing. It was like seeing his daughter for the very first time when she came out of her mother's womb. That was the very first time they all saw Hyuga Hiashi smile again after all these years.

"Hanabi… You're safe now. You need not to be afraid anymore." Hiashi said gently and landed a soft kiss on his daughter's forehead. "No one will ever take you away from me…"

Tsunade ordered for the ANBU to come-forth and bring a stretcher for them to deliver Hanabi back to another secret room in the library. The girl was placed by her father on the stretcher gently. He never looked away from his daughter's face.

"This way please. I will be the one to give her a check-up in the other room." Tsunade said to the Clan Head. "I am certain that she is safe now. Shinra was able to succeed with her techniques."

"_Arigatou gozaimasu." _Hiashi bowed down to the Hokage in sincere gratitude. For his daughter, he will never hesitate to bow his head no matter what the situation is. He had made so many mistakes with Hinata… he didn't want to repeat same mistakes again to Hanabi. He had already lost his eldest daughter and his wife… he could never afford to lose his one left family. He wanted to make things right.

"Please, raise your head." Tsunade said, "It is not me who should show your gratitude. It is to the both of them." She made a gesture of her head pointing at Shinra and Naruto.

Hiashi looked at the two. Naruto was helping Sakura transfer Shinra's body to the stretcher that the ANBU delivered them. The pale-eyed man smiled to himself. He was always thankful to Naruto… not only because he was the one who ended the Fourth World Shinobi War and saved the village multiple times—it's because he never stopped loving Hinata despite the fact that she was already long gone. He could feel how much Naruto cared for Hanabi—he could feel how much he wanted to save her. He was doing everything for Hinata.

"Nee, Sakura-chan… is Shinra-nee-chan going to be all right?" Naruto asked the pink-haired kunoichi concernedly.

Sakura nodded, "She just needs to rest to regain her health. She's exhausted from the sleepless nights she had in completing the scroll and curing Hanabi-chan. You don't have to worry so much."

Naruto sighed in relief, "That's good to hear."

Hiashi was about to go to Naruto, but the Hokage requested for his presence as she was going to check Hanabi's current condition to the other room. "Yes, I will be there." He said and then followed them out of the room. Later on… he would definitely say his gratitude to the Great Hero.

The ANBU started carrying Shinra's stretcher too to deliver her to a more comfortable room. Naruto and Sakura stood up to follow them. But as they were following the ANBU, Naruto suddenly halted on his steps and was looking very uneasy.

Sakura frowned at this. Everything went smoothly in curing Hanabi. But it seems that Naruto was not satisfied. Something was definitely bothering him again.

"Naruto? What's wrong?" She asked. "You look quite troubled."

"Oh, uhh. I'm fine. It's nothing." Naruto replied and laughed nervously.

Sakura narrowed her eyes, "Something is bothering you. Weren't you delighted of the result of curing Hanabi-chan? Everything went well. All of our hard work paid off but why do you look somewhat dismayed?"

Naruto shook his head, "It's nothing, really. I was just thinking of some things, that's all. It's not that important for you to know, Sakura-chan. I can handle this myself." He said trying to reassure her.

Sakura seemed unconvinced, but the ANBU called for her attention to assist them with Shinra. She had no choice but to let Naruto off the hook this time and deal with other important situations first. "We're not done yet, all right?" she told him and then followed the ANBU.

Naruto just saw Sakura walking away from him, but he didn't completely understand the last words she said for he was very occupied by disturbing thoughts. He was extremely glad that Hanabi was saved—and that her life wasn't connected to that Shaman anymore. That shaman will not be able to do anything to her anymore. But with unknown reasons… he was starting to feel uneasy inside.

There was something wrong.

He was starting to feel very worried.

He had a bad feeling that something was happening to that village. To Ibara Gakure.

To Tsuki.

He clenched his fists to his sides. He hated this kind of feeling. He seldom felt an intuition like this… and he will never be feeling calm unless he made sure that there everything was all right.

Since his mission with Hanabi was completed, he could fulfill his promise to Tsuki that he'd come back for her. He just needed to make sure that she's all right.

He just needed to make sure that his intuitions were wrong.

* * *

_Huff. _

_Huff._

_Huff._

Shinichi was running as fast as he could in the middle of the village. He didn't care if he was stained with mud and drenched with rain. He just needed to get to the library as soon as possible.

He immediately slammed the door of the library open and shouted for Mizu's name urgently.

"Mizu-sama!"

The old man, who was seated on his table drinking his tea and reading a book in the morning usually, was startled by the boy's unexpected arrival. He gave Shinichi his full attention, "What's wrong boy? What brought you so early?"

"Mizu-sama… Tsuki-nee-chan had not yet come home since yesterday! She just went out to buy dinner and after that she never returned! I've looked everywhere in the village but I couldn't find her!" Shinichi panicked.

Mizu stood up from his seat, face full of worry. "What did you say? The villagers—did they see her?"

Shinichi shook his head, "I've asked everyone. The last time they saw her was at the market… but after that… nothing." He looked down in the most depressed way, "I was trusted by Tomoyo-sama to guard Tsuki-nee-chan… what have I done? Please, Mizu-sama. Help me find her."

Mizu went to the poor boy, "You do not have to worry. I promise you that we will find her."

Shinichi tried to hold back his tears. He had to be brave. He couldn't cry at a time like this.

"Thank you, Mizu-sama."

.

.

.

Sasuke overheard what Shinichi and Mizu were discussing in the library. Since yesterday, he knew that something was wrong. He wasn't able to see Hinata usually passing by in front of the Inn he's staying at. He too was also looking for her everywhere in the village, but unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found. And then he'd hear this incident from Shinichi?

That Hinata has not yet come home since yesterday?

Where did she go?

Was she all by herself?

Was she safe?

Sasuke leaped up to the roof to continue searching for her. He just couldn't let this slip his hands. He couldn't just abandon her even if he and his team already had to leave the village. As he was standing on top of the roof, he noticed an island not quite far from the village. It was located in the far right side of the sea.

He narrowed his eyes. There was one place that he hasn't searched yet.

_That island._

He thought to himself. _She must be there. _

He swiftly leaped from roof to roof to get to the shore at once.

* * *

The rain…

The rain was calming her down a little. She could see the cloudy atmosphere outside from the small window in the dark dungeon. The cold wind entered through that small opening that was connecting her eyes to the nature and gave her a shiver.

Hinata was seated down on the floor with her back against the cold, hard wall. Everything in her was shivering. The heavy metallic cuffs that encircled her hands and attached her to the wall were making it even worse for her. The only cover she had for her body was the white hadajuban… stained with her fresh blood.

She was feeling a tremendous pain flowing through her entire body. Her legs were bleeding due to the whippings that the Lord's son did to her as a form of punishment. Then she was locked up in this cell, not giving her any medical treatment for her wounds. All she had since yesterday was just water. Nothing else.

Her face also had scratches… and her hair—her bangs were cut shorter to be able to see her eyes. It still covered her forehead, but her hidden eyes were now visible. She knew that Hiraishi had something else in mind to continue making her suffer and to punish her.

All of a sudden, she heard the door of the dungeon getting opened. It revealed the image of the Lord of the nation with his son behind him.

Hiromistu and Hiraishi both stood outside Hinata's cell and looked down at her apathetically.

Hinata looked straight to the Lord's eyes.

Hiromitsu raised a brow, "Now I have witnessed the cursed eyes that they speak of. You are blind yet you can see." He said, "Oh, young Tsuki. Why have you done this? Haven't I warned you before? Even if you have done a lot to save my palace and those ill people… if you went against me and my men, you are not excused to be punished."

"Hiromitsu-sama… I do not beg for my life. I do not beg for freedom. But please… stop everything that you are planning. Many lives will be lost if you execute all your incentives!" Hinata said.

"And who are you to command me? You are nothing but a commoner of this village. You have no authority." Hiromitsu replied, "I am the Lord of this Land. I am the rule. I command."

"But why must you do this? Why must you conquer other lands? I-Instead of supplying the people of necessities—you choose to spend all their taxes in building weapons to destroy the Kage's village?" Hinata said.

"Why, you ask? It is quite simple. I thought you would easily figure out since you are an intelligent girl. Well, it's simply because it is time for us to take another step. For so many years, we were an independent nation. It is time for us to take it to another level and conquer other lands!"

"Th-this is absurd… you will not be able to do it alone. There are many strong ninjas out there—"

"And who said that I was doing it alone? Who said that we weren't prepared for the consequences when we face those ninjas?" He glared down at her and saw the frightened look on her face. He smiled evilly, "Why do I even bother to tell you?"

He turned away and looked at Hiraishi, "I leave her to you. Torture her more that she won't dare to say a word."

Hiraishi nodded as the Lord started walking away. He stood in front of Hinata's cell and smirked maniacally, "You heard my father's command."

"I may be weak… but I am not deaf." She answered.

Hiraishi scoffed, "You still have guts to answer me back, don't you? Let's see how far your bravery can accompany you." He then called for two guards to unlock her cell and take her out.

"You better start to respect me now. If you apologize for everything you said to me and the Lord, I will probably give you the chance to escape and go back to your normal life. You just have to promise us that you won't tell a thing to the villagers."

Hinata was being hoisted by the two guards carelessly, she glared at Hiraishi with disgust. "I will never listen to your words." She said. "I will not beg to you… You don't deserve people to beg to you."

Hiraishi slapped her hard again that made her slip off the guards grasp and fall the concrete ground.

"You wasted your chance, you filth. I was giving you an opportunity to see the light of another day. But you wasted my kind offering. Very impudent, indeed." He hissed. "Now that you have made me very mad… you are going to regret everything you have done. You are going to regret that you gave away the chance I offered you!"

Hinata coughed out blood and was breathing heavily. She mustered her strength to look back up to Hiraishi, her eyes remained determined.

"I'd rather die than owe you my life."

"THEN DIE! I care not!" Hiraishi shouted. "You'll probably like my next punishment to you since you chose death. But let me clear one thing… if you say a single word about our plan… those children will die with you. You understand?"

Hinata frowned, "Children…?"

"Those children who followed you when you were trailing me. Didn't you know? Because of you, those three snotty kids discovered the plan. And I don't trust children even if they promise that they won't say a single thing. If you tell anything about the villagers… those children will be thrown to the forest of thorns!"

Hinata shook her head and did all she could to crawl towards Hiraishi. "Please… let them go. Don't get them involved into this! They're still young… please… set them free."

"Keh, now you beg? How foolish. Now where is that bravery of yours? You know what, Tsuki… I never liked kids. They're always very annoying. I might as well capture other children so that the village couldn't go against my father in case you try something stupid."

"Punish me. Punish me for all you want just don't harm the villagers! I—I will accept all your torturing… but please… do not harm them."

Hiraishi smirked evilly, "Get her up. We will go to the village."

* * *

Hanabi opened her eyes and saw the familiar room where she was always kept after losing consciousness from Tsunade's research. She felt very exhausted but there was something different with her body.

She felt… light.

The healing process was finally over and she can't help but wonder what the result was. But then, she felt warm hands enveloping her numb right hand. She slowly focused her eyes to the owner of the familiar warmth and she didn't need to wonder who it was. For the very first time after several years, she had finally seen her father smile at her.

"Otou-sama…" she said in a weak voice.

Tears were streaming down Hiashi's eyes. He held her hand tighter tenderly, "Hanabi… you've been saved." He said, "You've been… saved."

Hanabi was dumbfounded a while. She didn't know what she'd feel first. Many emotions just started building up inside her and she didn't know how to express them properly. The next thing she knew, beads of tears rolled down her face.

"I'm… saved…" she said in the most relieved way she could. "_Otou-sama_… I'm finally cured."

Hiashi nodded and shut his eyes. He gave his daughter a warm hug and then kissed her forehead. "We owe everything to Tsunade-sama, Shinra and… Naruto." He said and then made her see that Naruto and Shinra were also present in the room.

When Hanabi laid her eyes upon Naruto, she saw him smile at her with one of his signature grins.

"Yo, Hanabi-chan." He greeted happily.

Shinra also smiled at her, "I'm glad you are awake now, Hanabi-sama."

"Naruto-ni-san… Shinra-san…" Hanabi sobbed, "I—I—Th—thank you for… everything…" she tried her best to be understood.

Naruto just scratched the back of his head as he and Shinra walked towards her. "You don't have to mention it." He said, "I'm really glad that… you're finally healed. I have always hoped for this day to come that we'd be able to save you, Hanabi-chan. You know how important you are to Shinra-nee-chan and me."

Hanabi bit her lower lip. "_Arigatou…"_ she whispered.

Naruto ruffled Hanabi's hair gently, "Come on! Don't cry! You're going to make me cry, too. Geez."

"Hanabi-sama. You don't have to be afraid anymore. No matter what Masayo does, she will never be able to get your soul. Your life is not under her hands anymore. She won't be able to lay a finger on you now." Shinra said.

"Of course, I won't let that old hag get to Hanabi-chan or anyone in the Hyuga family!" Naruto growled, "I'll make her pay for everything—I'll definitely avenge Hinata no matter what happens! I'll stop all of her plans."

An awkward silence occurred by the mention of the pure maiden's name. Different memories of her appeared in their minds—but one common memory struck them all in the room. Her death, that is.

Shinra always felt uncertain when Hiashi, Hanabi, Neji and especially Naruto mentioned Hinata's name. The girl was very important to all of them. She was precious. They all loved her sincerely. They all mourned and were pained by her death. She had always wondered whether it was right that they hid the fact that Hinata was still alive or not. The girl had to be protected no matter what—even if it means that she had to be far from her real family and identity.

After all these years, they were still badly affected by her tragic death. Naruto still loved her deeply. No one had… fully moved on.

Yet, here Shinra was, knowing the whole truth about Hinata.

She gave Naruto a worried look. _It has been far too long… But after all these years of being separated from one another… they still met._ She thought to herself_. I'm sorry, Tomoyo-sama… but I'll have to go against your plans. It has been long enough. Naruto continues suffering upon losing her five years ago. My heart can no longer endure the agony in his heart._

"Naruto-dono…" she spoke and broke the cold silence.

Naruto gave her a look.

"I will be leaving this instance. I would like for you to be my escort back to the village I live in." she said.

"You are leaving, Shinra? You haven't taken a good rest yet and I wish for you to linger for the whole clan to be able to properly express our gratitude." Hiashi said.

Shinra shook her head, "I have done my part, Hiashi-sama. I'd love to stay… but I still have other purposes to fulfill." She declined politely and then went back to Naruto to hear his response.

"But, Shinra-nee-chan. It's very sudden that you have to leave. Why don't you stay for a few more days?" he asked.

"I will be going back to the Hidden Village of Thorns in the Land of Lightning, Naruto-dono. I have an important mission." Shinra said in a serious tone of voice.

By the mention of the certain village, Naruto suddenly froze on his spot. There was this weird feeling again. There was something bothering him and it was confusing him so much. The strange intuition was attacking again.

"Ibara gakure…" he said in a soft voice.

Shinra nodded. "I'd like for you to be my escort, Naruto-dono. I have an urgent mission that I must accomplish… and there is something important that you ought to know."

Naruto completely noticed how important this was to Shinra.

"**I say you go with her."**Kurama suddenly interrupted. **"You've been bothered by how that maiden is doing, right? The Hyuga daughter has been saved. Fulfill your promise to that girl you left in Ibara Gakure."**

"_I know that…" _Naruto mentally replied to his partner. _"But why is Shinra-nee-chan going to that village? What is her mission there?"_

"**You know what… there's one way to find out. Accompanying Shinra will most probably change your life again." **Kurama said.

"_What do you mean?" _

After that, Kurama didn't mutter a word.

"Naruto-dono?"

Naruto was drawn back to reality. "Oh. Yeah. Of course, I'd be willing to accompany you in your trip. We just have to ask permission to Tsunade-no-baa-chan and we're good to go." He said.

"I will take care of that. Please, do meet me by the main gate at exactly 1 o'clock." Shinra requested, but it sounded more of like a command.

Naruto nodded.

"Please excuse us, Hiashi-sama, Hanabi-sama. Ino-san and Shizune-san will be the ones to give further care. My job ends here." Shinra bowed respectfully at the Hyugas before turning away to get to the exit door.

"I understand. Please do come back soon, Shinra. I haven't shown my deepest gratitude yet." Hiashi said.

Shinra opened the door and halted at the threshold with Naruto bringing up the rear, "Have a good day, Hiashi-sama… Hanabi-sama." She lastly said before going out of the room.

"See ya later then, Hanabi-chan!" Naruto waved goodbye at her and then followed the priestess.

.

.

.

Shinra was done reporting to Tsunade about her initiatives regarding Naruto. She was standing in the middle of the room, waiting for the Hokage's response to her proposal.

Tsunade leaned her elbows on top of her office desk and interlocked her fingers. She eyed Shinra with her amber eyes, "Are you certain of your decisions, Shinra?"

"Yes." Shinra answered without any hints of doubt in her tone of voice.

"Even if you know what the consequences may be?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"Yes." The priestess answered in a matter of seconds.

"Does Tomoyo know about this? Or Head Monk Ike?" the Hokage asked.

Shinra replied the negative. "I've only thought about this earlier, Tsunade-sama. You are the first to know." She lowered her head, "Please… I ask for your permission to let Naruto-dono be my escort back to Ibara Gakure. He needs to come with me."

"But what about the girl? Her memories haven't returned yet." Tsunade said.

Shinra slowly raised her head. Her eyes looked crestfallen. "We all knew that this day would come, Hokage-sama. They've been separated for so many years. Naruto-dono knew all along that Hinata-sama was already dead—Hinata-sama knew nothing of her real identity. But after all this time… they were still connected. Who could have ever thought… that they would reunite after all what happened?" she paused, "Tomoyo-sama and Rika have already started to gather the items we need for Hinata-sama's final training. By the next three or four days, her training will begin. I thought that… it might be best to let Naruto-dono know that she's still alive and the he joins us with this important training."

"I see. I understand your reasons." Tsunade said. "Indeed, we need to get Hinata back and fight for us."

Shinra looked at Tsunade.

"There were new reports." Tsunade said, "Villages near the Shaman country have been attacked. The shamans have made their move—it seems that Masayo was able to finally destroy the curse that Madara and Obito casted on her. Many were slaughtered… few survivors say that those shamans collect souls."

Shinra quite paled. "Masayo is… free?"

"There were no reports of what their next move might be. They still haven't set foot on the Fire Country… for now. But I'm sure that they will target us. I know that they are still looking for Hinata. My hunch is that the shamans are taking their time to get stronger—after that, they'll start to conquer different lands again to locate Hinata." Tsunade paused, "We need Hinata to stop this folly. As soon as possible… she has to become a fully-pledged Sacred Priestess. She needs to be brought here at once."

"Masayo is smart… but we ought to be smarter than her." Shinra said and clenched her hands into fists, "Hinata-sama is already a strong priestess… but she is not strong enough to stop all of Masayo's plans yet. We need time. The perfect days to train will be next week since the moonlight will not leave the Tower of Light for a couple of days."

"Then make time." Tsunade commanded. "Everything is sudden. But it is inevitable. I've already prepared myself for this… Shinra, I depend on you for I know that you will not fail me."

"I understand, Hokage-sama." Shinra replied. She was relieved that she followed her intuitions. She just thought of telling Naruto and Hinata the truth so that they could be prepared of the future circumstances… but then it was already here. The consequence of the Shamans making their move had begun.

"Those two… also need to be prepared." Tsunade added, "I entrust them to you, Shinra. Make them understand."

"Yes." Shinra answered promptly.

.

.

.

Naruto slid the zipper of his backpack close when done packing his necessities for his new mission. "That's enough, I guess." He said and then picked up the bag and wore it on his back. He then looked at his wall clock and saw that it was already 1:15 in the afternoon.

"Oh. I need to leave now! I can't let Shinra-nee-chan wait for me." He said to himself and was about to settle out. But he stopped by in front of his drawer first to look at a certain picture.

Naruto's ocean blue eyes stared down sweetly at the photo maiden inside the frame. (Beside it was the team 7 group photo several years ago.) He smiled upon seeing the thirteen-year-old Hyuga Hinata smile brightly in the picture. She was wearing her favorite yellow kimono and was seated at the porch where she usually spent her time reading different books and scrolls. Her hands were properly placed on her lap. She was a noble maiden, indeed. Pure… elegant… and simple. Yet, she was stunning.

He opened the drawer and took an envelope out. It was an elegant-looking envelope with a notable red strand enclosing it. He held the fragile item delicately and looked at it tenderly.

_TO NARUTO-KUN._

He could see Hinata's penmanship. She did everything she could to finish this letter for him. Even if her hands—her whole body was weak… she wrote with everything she had. He brought the envelope to his lips and kissed it tenderly before bringing it back to the safety of the drawer.

"I'll be going now, Hinata." He said to her. He stared one last time at her picture and finally settled out of his apartment to meet Shinra.

* * *

"And where do you think you're going, Sasuke?"

Suigetsu asked as he appeared with Jugo in front of the Uchiha's path.

Sasuke halted on his steps. They all stood in the middle of the rain, glaring at one another. "Move." He said to his two allies.

"You're not thinking about of going to that girl again, are you?" Suigetsu said in an irritated tone.

"I said move." Sasuke's voice hardened.

The silver-haired swordsman scoffed, "Just what the heck, Sasuke? Get a grip already! We've been staying in this village for almost a month! I'm tired of messing around. We need to get back to our normal lives! And that is bounty hunting."

Sasuke didn't care about Suigetsu's rants. He didn't have time for this.

"I thought that we talked about this yesterday? We all agreed to get the fuck out of this village this morning. But then you all of a sudden disappear without saying a word to us again. Just what the heck is stopping you? Just what the heck are you doing?!" Suigetsu growled.

Sasuke held the hilt of his Kusanagi and said once more, "Move."

"You know what… I'm not going to let you through. I'm already tired of your bullshit. You have got to wake up!" Suigetsu shouted at him. "Don't you understand, Uchiha? Those _two_ are different. She might resemble your dead fiancée one way or another, but that maiden is alive and the other one is dead!"

Sasuke glared at Suigetsu in rage. He felt his Uchiha blood boiling.

"Your stay in this village just made everything worse. Instead of moving on—you couldn't let go. You still can't accept that Hyuga Hinata is dead. You just saw one person that resembled her and then you quickly assume that it's her. Just stop this shit already, Sasuke!"

"What the hell do you know!? You know nothing about her. YOU KNOW NOTHING!" Sasuke snapped.

"What do I know? All I know is that I lost the most important person to me! You were not the only one, damn Uchiha! That annoying woman… Karin…" his voice sounded bitter as he glared harder at the raven-haired ninja, "She died right in front of my eyes and I was not able to do anything to save her!"

"Suigetsu." Jugo spoke as if to stop the young swordsman, but it was pointless.

"That Juubi's damned claws got her. It ripped her flesh—I was there to see it all and I wasn't able to do anything. I was not a child. I was not a weak child unlike you! Your fiancée died a long time ago and you're still blaming yourself because you weren't able to do anything. But it's because you're _just _a _child _that time!_" _Suigetsu advanced at Sasuke and grabbed him by the front shirt. "But I—I was not a child anymore. I stood there and watched Karin's blood splash out. Don't you dare… don't you dare tell me that I know nothing!"

Sasuke was undeterred. "Take your hands off me." His eyes fiercer than ever.

"Make me." Suigetsu hissed.

"I don't have time to waste on you." Sasuke growled as he began activating his Sharingan.

Suigetsu grabbed the hilt of his _kubikiribocho, _prepared for any attacks from his opponent. "You'll regret this, Sasuke." He said.

Both of them were of advantage with the weather. Since it was raining hard, Suigetsu will be able to use his water jutsus efficiently, and Sasuke will have good conductors of his Chidori. Just as when Sasuke was about to swing his kusanagi at Suigetsu, he abruptly felt a familiar presence in some area of the village.

"_Masaka_…" Sasuke uttered under his breath. In the speed of the wind, he shoved Suigetsu's hand off his front shirt and immediately composed Chidori. He used his Kusanagi to be a pathway of the electric current he produced from his hand. He swung his sword at Suigetsu's way, creating a huge barricade of lightning keeping both his teammates back and distant from him. Without saying a word, he mustered his speed to get to the place where he felt that familiar presence.

"Sasuke!" Suigetsu shouted from his back but he didn't waste a single second on looking back.

"He's still going after her." Jugo stated as a matter-of-factly.

The two let the lightning barricade subside for a moment before they followed their troublesome troop leader.

"He is so going to regret this someday! I will make sure!" Suigetsu yelled.

* * *

It was not hard for Sasuke to locate where he felt that familiar presence. In a matter of minutes, he was at the town square where the villagers gathered for an important event. As he could see, there stood a man in fine clothing accompanied by palace guards. And at the rear of the middle-aged man… a maiden stood in between the grasps of two palace guards.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

He could not be mistaken. That was Tsuki.

.

.

.

"Men and women! Do you all see this maiden? This mysterious maiden who lives in the forest with a miraculous doctor—the maiden with the cursed eyes—whom you all started to get fond of… Tsuki as we know her by name—had committed an unforgivable sin!" Hiraishi announced.

The villagers gasped. Different expressions on their faces were present. Some were dismayed, some felt crestfallen, and most were apathetic. Those apathetic people mostly belonged to the first class.

"She had been disobeying the rules of this nation. All you citizens know that abiding a rule means punishment. Now look at her… She was so full of herself… always thinking that everything she did was correct. Look at where those provisions had brought her? Pain and suffering. Punishment." Hiraishi continued as he went to the poor maiden. He roughly grabbed Hinata's hair to lift her face up. Everyone saw how pale she looked—her lips were chipped, she had scratches on her cheeks, and a bruise at the corner of her mouth.

"We all know that this young woman is intelligent and keen. So I have decided to give her mercy… and second chance to live." He narrowed his eyes and clutched her hair tighter to make her wince in pain, "But she wasted that opportunity. She chose death!"

Hinata kept her eyes shut. She endured all the pain. She tried her hardest to keep her mouth shut to ensure that the Lord's son wouldn't dare to do anything to the children and the citizens. It was slowly tearing her heart apart. She wanted to scream her lungs out and tell them every foul things that the Lord and the Lord's son were planning. But she was defenseless… they would go too far on killing the children just to hide their plans.

"This is your last chance to say goodbye to your precious villagers." Hirashi said with an evil chuckle.

"Tsuki-nee-chan! LET GO OF HER!" Shinichi came dashing from the crowd to get to his beloved nee-chan. He had stone on his hand and then he threw it towards Hiraishi.

"LET HER GO!" he shouted once again.

Hiraishi felt a pang on his shoulder when the stone from the filthy kid hit him. He gritted his teeth and looked at the guards.

The guards caught the boy and held him captive.

"Take your hands off me! Tsuki-nee-chan! I will save you, Tsuki-nee-chan!" Shinichi struggled from the guards' grasps but he was too weak to get away from them.

Panic shot through Hinata. Even if her legs were bleeding and her whole body was aching, she strove to get away from the palace guards that were holding her. "Shinichi!|

S_LAP!_

A strong slapping sound came as Hiraishi's hand hit Hinata's face badly. "I told you not to say anything. NOT. A. WORD." He said.

Hinata tasted the metallic flavor of her blood again. She felt it slowly dripping from the corner of her lips.

"YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!" Shinichi growled.

"Stop struggling, brat!" one of the guards said and then kicked Shinichi hard on the stomach. It temporarily made him shut his mouth.

"Shinichi-kun! Please, stop it already! Do not hurt him!" Hinata yelled.

"Those who are willing to come save this girl… I have no intentions on stopping you. But you will have the same fate as her. Death." Hiraishi said. "You people… all know what we are capable of doing."

"SET NEE-CHAN FREE!" Shinichi shouted anew.

"Stay away Shinichi-kun… stay away…" Hinata said.

"What are you saying?! I will save you, nee-chan—"

"NO! Just do as I say!" Hinata shouted firmly.

And then all of a sudden, the guards that held the young boy shouted in pain and fell to the ground unconscious.

Shinichi gasped. He looked at the two guards. They were lying on the ground, not moving. He frowned at this and then the next thing he knew was that there was a man with dark hair stood in front of him.

"You…" the young boy muttered.

The whole crowd was shocked at his arrival.

Hiraishi frowned at this and took a step back. He didn't know who that man was. But one thing he was certain of… he's a ninja. Little by little, he was starting to recognize who he was. Black hair. Sharp black eyes. Katana.

He had seen him.

His eyes widened.

"Uchiha Sasuke…" he muttered under his breath. _What is he doing here?_

"I'm taking her with me." Sasuke said.

"Sasuke-san…" Hinata whispered.

Sasuke began walking towards them. It could be clearly seen how anxious the Lord's son got.

_This is bad. The Sound Ninjas haven't arrived yet… we are no match against this bloody Uchiha. _"And how do you know this cursed girl?" Hiraishi tried acting brave.

"None of your business." He began unsheathing his Kusanagi, "I will not leave this village empty handed. Give her to me."

"You stay back, outsider!" Hiraishi commanded, "If you take her away… I will kill those children I held captive! I will throw them to the Forest of Thorns!"

"I don't care. All I need is her." Sasuke replied coldly.

Hiraishi began sweating badly. That was the best he could do? That was the best threat he could throw to that ninja? He has to think of something else to stop the Uchiha. He knew that the girl would use him. Right now, she was at the advantage. She could yell to the whole village about the plan. What was he supposed to do to drive Sasuke away?

Sasuke was not from this village. He even left his own village and became a traitor. How could he expect that this guy would care about the children of this village?

"Stay away from me…" Hinata said and looked directly at Sasuke's dark eyes. "I don't need your help."

That was the moment everything stopped for Sasuke. He forgot to breathe, to move, to think… he forgot about everything. He could see no one else but her. Especially those pale lavender eyes.

Hinata was pleading him. "I don't need your help… I don't need you to save me."

_Those eyes… _He was certain of it. His eyes didn't deceive him. Right in front of him… was a person who has pure Hyuga eyes.

"Sasuke-san… I beg of you… leave this village." Hinata pressed.

That girl—Tsuki—he was sure of it.

He didn't know how it all happened. But by seeing those eyes… he was sure that _she _was not dead.

His fiancée… his Hyuga Hinata…

…was alive.

Hiraishi was stunned by the maiden's response. Never had he imagined that she would still choose those children's life over hers. Her savior was here. A strong and deadly ninja. She could get away from them neatly but she still chose to save those pathetic children's lives.

He chuckled inwardly. Sasuke may not be from this village and does not care for the children's life… but Tsuki was from this village. She cared about the villagers more than anything else.

"Leave now… please! I don't need you!" Hinata said anew.

"What are you saying, Tsuki-nee-chan?! Sasuke will definitely save you from that man!" Shinichi replied.

"N…no." Hinata's voice trembled, "I choose not to be saved." Many lives would be in danger… if she stuck with what Hiraishi proposed then the villagers' lives would not be in danger.

Sasuke stepped forward.

_No way in hell._

How could he abandon her?

Even if she told him to scram over and over again, he will not leave her alone.

Not now.

Not now that he knows that she's Hinata.

He took another step. He will save her. He will fulfill that oath he made. That he will make her his and that he will protect her with his life.

_**She does not belong to you, Sasuke.**_

He suddenly heard a familiar voice. It made his body froze. Then in a blink of an eye, he was in a dark place and Itachi stood there interfering his path to Hinata. Everybody disappeared except for him, Itachi and the weak Hyuga.

….

"You will never own her, my brother…" Itachi said.

Was this the depth of his thoughts again? Was this part of the genjutsu that Madara gave to haunt him?

"Sasuke… I told you before… even if you spend a lifetime waiting, you will never own her." Itachi said.

"Ni-san… Why do you still interrupt? That woman—she is Hyuga Hinata. She is my fiancée. She is the most important person that I once lost, but now, she's alive." Sasuke said, "I made an oath… this time… for sure, I will make her mine."

Itachi shook his head solemnly. "You still don't understand, Sasuke. She belongs to someone else… and I know you know who that person is."

Sasuke had a bitter taste in his mouth. He didn't have to think nor guess who Itachi was talking about. "Naruto…"

Itachi looked at him straightly in the eye. "Only Uzumaki Naruto can end her suffering. It is only he who can save her. " he paused, "We all wanted to protect this girl… we all wanted to stop her suffering. But destiny had been so very cruel. To you, to Naruto… and especially to her."

"That's why I'm here to save her. Our paths have crossed again. How do you expect me to leave her easily after all this time…?"

"It's because you need to, Sasuke. To protect the both of you."

"What…?"

"It is best if you leave her alone. If you leave her to Naruto's care."

_Leave her to Naruto's care? _Sasuke fisted his hands. He remembered what had happened five years ago when that shaman came to take away Hinata's life. He was with Neji... and when they arrived at the place, he saw Naruto severely injured on the ground and Hinata… was lying down on the ground fighting for her life.

Naruto failed to protect her that time. It was his fault that she died. It was his fault that Hinata was not able to love him back.

_No_.

He, Uchiha Sasuke, will not let that happen again.

"You must leave Hinata alone, Sasuke!" Itachi said firmly.

…

Sasuke felt a strong pang on his temples. It was too painful. It felt like he was being electrified to death. The pain made him fall down to his knees as he grabbed for his head to endure the sensation.

_Not… now…_

His sight was beginning to get cloudy.

"Hi…nata…" he said softly.

"Get him, Jugo!" Suigetsu and Jugo suddenly appeared and rushed to Sasuke's aid.

Jugo crouched down and placed Sasuke's arm on his shoulders. "Sasuke."

"Tsk. Such a pain in the ass." Suigetsu said under his breath and then turned to Hiraishi, "Hey. Forget everything that this guy said. We won't cause any trouble with this village anymore. We're leaving."

Sasuke heard Suigetsu say. He wanted to slash the moron's mouth with his kusanagi. He wanted for him to stop talking and for Jugo to let him go. But the pain in his head was intolerable. This was the worst pain he had experienced concerning illusions… but he knew that his encounter with Itachi just now was definitely not an illusion.

"What?! You can't leave! We still need to save Tsuki-nee-chan!" Shinichi said to Suigetsu.

"It's none of our business. It's none of Sasuke's business." Suigetsu replied, "Let's go, Jugo."

"Leave and never return here, outsiders." Hiraishi said.

Suigetsu scoffed and turned his back at him, "Oh, we'll never set foot again on this junk."

Before Sasuke could even protest, he felt his body being carried away. He felt him getting far from her. And then after that… darkness clouded his mind.

* * *

Late afternoon at the Fire Country…

"This way, Naruto-dono, Shikamaru-san, Sakura-san, Kakashi-san. We have not much time left." Shinra walked passed through several bushes in panic. It was just now that she had felt something different with Hinata's aura. Among the three of them, she was the only one who could entirely feel Hinata's aura. Neither Rika nor Tomoyo could. She was too tired and busy dealing with Hanabi's soul for too long… she wasn't able to notice immediately that there were changes with Hinata's condition.

She quickly summoned her long staff.

"Shinra-nee-chan? What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?" Naruto asked with a frown.

"I have a bad premonition. We must get to Ibara Gakure at once." Shinra answered.

"But this is not the right path. It's over there." Naruto pointed at the opposite direction.

Shinra did not answer back. She began muttering priestess spells, and then a mirror of portal suddenly appeared. "We will get there right now if we go through this. We must hurry." She said.

"A portal?" Sakura's eyes widened. This was the very first time she had seen one.

Shikamaru just stared blankly at Shinra. The portal didn't amuse him at all, but something bothered his thoughts. _If she could use a portal that would teleport her back to her village immediately, then she won't be needing an escort anymore. She doesn't have to bring us with her anymore._

Without further ado, Naruto jumped into the mirror. He wished they could always use this kind of technique so they won't have to travel for days just to reach the Ibara Gakure. He was glad that he didn't have to wait for two days anymore to see how Tsuki was doing. Right now, he just needed to get to her quickly. He just needed to make sure that she was safe.

Since Naruto had already jumped in, Kakashi and the others had no choice but to follow. They would save the questioning for later.

.

.

.

Kakashi's team and Shinra had arrived in the village in less than a minute. They were at the forest, in front of Tomoyo's house.

"This place is…" Naruto eyed the surroundings. "This is Tsuki's home…" he whispered and then looked at Shinra.

Shinra, without saying a word to the Konoha shinobi, rushed inside the house. It could be clearly seen that something was bothering her. She was not that usual calm and composed priestess that they knew. She was in extreme anxiety.

"Shinichi? Tsuki?" she called out worriedly. She knew that Tomoyo and Rika had not returned yet. But it was unusual for Shinichi and Hinata not to be home at this time. The clinic was closed since Tomoyo's away. The two have not any reasons to leave the house at this kind of time. "Tsuki? Where are you?"

The four ninjas could hear Shinra's noise from the wooden house. Her footsteps were heavy and it seemed that she ran all around her home.

Naruto was just standing there, engulfed by so many thoughts.

_Shinra-nee-chan knows Tsuki? _

_But… how? _

_Does she also live here? _

_How are they related?_

Shikamaru, Sakura and Kakashi all exchanged glances. Indeed, this was very unexpected. They heard very well what name that Shinra yelled as she was inside the house looking for certain people. They all heard her say "Tsuki". The name of the maiden who looks like Hinata.

After a few seconds or so, Shinra came out of the house wearing that same weary expression on her face. "They're not here… we must go to the village." She said and then swiftly ran towards the path that would lead her fastest to the village.

"Wait, Shinra-san! What are you talk—" Sakura called for the priestess to clear their confusions.

Shinra all looked back at them, "We must hurry! I was able to feel it… I felt that there was something different with Tsuki's energy. We must find her at once!" she said.

"How do you know her, Shinra-nee-chan?" Naruto spoke suddenly. His interruption changed the whole atmosphere. His voice was different. It was cold and demanding unlike his usual tone of merriness. "Tell me… how do you know Tsuki? Why have you brought us in front of her house?"

Shinra's eyes were caught by Naruto's stern and determined gaze. He was not that innocent child anymore. He had grown too much… learned too much from so many battles and painful experiences.

Maybe it really was time for him to know.

"We've all known her for so many years." Shinra said.

Naruto's heart skipped a beat. He gulped hard and listened attentively at Shinra's words. But her next words had struck him hard most.

"Many things have happened… we all thought that she wouldn't survive. Everyone thought that she was dead." Shinra continued.

Naruto's hands began trembling.

"We hid her… to protect her." Shinra said softly. "We didn't let anybody know that she survived… not even a word to her father and clan."

"You mean…" Naruto found it hard to use his voice. He readied himself for this.

"The moon's light comes from the sun… from the sunshine." Shinra said.

Naruto could barely feel his legs. His sky blue eyes both grew wide. He felt everything in him scatter. His brain found it hard to absorb everything… his heart found it hard to accept everything. He couldn't describe what he was feeling.

All that came out from his gaping mouth were words… "Tsuki is… Hinata?"

TO BE CONTINUED.

* * *

**a/n:**

And who said that I was converted to SasuHina? Who said that I'd let Sasuke take it all away? Who said that I'll abandon Naruto?

(NO ONE! :()

Oh, no one huh? XD

I'm a solid NaruHina fan. Okay? Sasuke is just... a nuisance. LOL. And Itachi is my guy so I needed him to make the ultimate intervention!

Please, r&r!

I'll be going to school now. I'm probably working on a microscope while you're reading this. XD

**VOCABULARY**

**Masaka – could it be**


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